Taking Someone's Place
by TVGirl09
Summary: No one knew Ryan Wolfe was married, even now that he's dead they still don't. What happens when she joins Caine's crime lab as Ryan's replacement. Tempers fly and feelings are hurt that's what. Warning: Character Death. Disclaimer: I don't own anything
1. A Normal Day Interrupted

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

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Chapter One

A Normal Day Interrupted

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Avery Jones woke up early that morning to her cell phone ringing. She could tell it was hers and not her husbands as Shinedown's 'Better Version' was playing compared to the ringtones he used which were the ones that came with the phone.

She answered it. "Hey Captain," she responded naturally, her voice relaying the fact she was barely awake.

Arms wrapped around her waist and his lips gently kissed her shoulder. She smiled over her shoulder at him lovingly. Married two years and they still felt like newly weds.

"Hey, just wanted to make sure you remembered today was your day off," her captain said and she smiled while biting her lower lip.

"I remember," she said as she glanced back at her husband. His brown eyes looked at her with a loving glow and she couldn't help but smile even wider at him. "Boss, my husband's awake."

"I got it, go," The captain said and she smiled. She and her captain were close friends. The line went dead and she tossed her phone aside as he pulled her close. They kissed passionately, fire burning through her system at his mere touch.

His hands ran down her bare length and he was about to move closer to her when another phone rang. This one was a normal ringtone and they both groaned in frustration. Nothing had even happened yet and he was being cut off.

"It's H," he said pulling away from her and she rolled her eyes at him. She heard him talk to his boss and she smiled at him. Her blue eyes glanced up his ripped six pack abs. He spoke and she only saw his gorgeous lips moving. Only did she understand when she heard him respond, "I'll be right in."

"What," she asked sitting up so that she was even with him.

"Horatio needs me in today," he started and she groaned.

"Baby, you remember what we were planning to do today," she sighed and he closed his eyes. "Last night was good but if we really want to make sure then it has to be today, remember what the doctor said." He put a finger to her lips to quiet her.

"Av. I love you, I want a baby with you more than anything. I'll get this done quickly, I'll come home and I promise you we will make a baby," he said and she smiled. Both had good stable jobs. In their lines of work – both of them being cops, her a beat cop and him a CSI – they were often in dangerous life threatening situations that could very easily get them killed. They didn't want to waste time and regret actions later on in life.

"You better, and don't rush," she told him. "You rush, you make a mistake. You make a mistake, you never come home. I couldn't stand that."

"I promise, I will come home," he said seriously. Then he leaned down and kissed her lips gently before standing up. He quickly put on his clothing, that purple tee-shirt she loved under a dark jacket and a pair of pants to match. She smiled as he put on his gun and badge.

"You know, maybe you should keep that on when you come home later tonight," she said arching a brow at him and he chuckled low in his throat.

"I'll keep that in mind. I love you," He said and she smiled back at him.

"I love you too," she said. With that he left and she got up. She went and took a shower. She fixed herself some lunch and left the dishes in the sink. Her husband would gripe about it but that didn't matter to her at that moment. Her day was boring with nothing really exciting happening.

It was about seven at night when she heard a car pull up to the front of the house she and her husband had bought.

"Finally," she said as she got up from the couch and made her way to the door. She opened it and who she found standing there wasn't her husband.

Standing there were two family friends – the only two from his side who knew they were married. One was Maxine Valera and the other was Alexx Woods.

Her world came crashing down at the tears in both of their eyes.

"No," she said shaking her head. This couldn't be happening. Not to them.

"I'm sorry Avery," Alexx said, her voice rough from crying. "Ryan's gone."

Avery stepped backwards. This couldn't be happening. Her mind and heart couldn't believe it.

Alexx and Maxine both stepped to her and grabbed either side of her and held her as she cried.

Ryan Wolfe, the only man she'd ever loved – her high school sweet heart – was gone. What was she going to do now?

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_[So, what do you think so far? Should I continue? Thanks for reading this far… TVGirl09]_


	2. Funerals and Life

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

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Chapter One

Funerals and Life

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Three days after his death Avery found herself standing at his grave side as they lowered his body into that hollow hole in the ground. They hadn't even allowed an open coffin.

She stood next to Ryan's only remaining family – his uncle Ron, his older sister, Veronica, and his niece, Jean. The rest of his family was either dead or in jail like his older brother. None of the officers he worked with even took a second glance at her. She knew them from his pictures. There was the beautiful Calleigh Duquesne, her bright blonde hair pulled back from in front of her face, her dark blue eyes shining with tears.

Next to her stood the dark and dashing Eric Delko. He was dressed in a suit. Ryan would have been rolling on the ground laughing at the spectacle if he was there. On the other side of Calleigh was the blue eyed red haired figure Ryan had given his life for.

It was the bastard who had called her husband taken him away from her. Her anger should be at the man who pulled the trigger but she couldn't help but feel anger towards the man who had called him away. He shouldn't have even been out in the field that day. It was no fair.

She stood at his grave side and she turned to hug Ronald Wolfe and Jean Wolfe.

He pulled her close.

"Be strong," he whispered into her ear. "He'd hate to see you cry because of him."

"I know," she whispered in his ear. Then she stepped to her niece, no, it was his niece. Him being dead shed any need to act civil towards her. If Jean wanted she could walk away without so much as a word now.

"Hi Auntie," Jean said and Avery just smiled at the young woman.

"Hi," Avery responded as she hugged the young woman. "I'm sorry."

"I should be telling you that," Jean murmured in her ear. Then Jean stepped back. "So, I remember three weeks ago when Uncle Ryan was over he mentioned you'd be trying to get a job at the lab as a technician, you still going to be trying?"

She shook her head. "I don't know anymore what I'll be doing," she said sadly.

"I think you should. He'd love it. You know he wanted you to become a CSI for ever now," the thirteen-year-old said.

"He would too," Veronica said stepping towards Avery and the two hugged. "My brother only ever wanted the best for you."

"Yet it annoyed him when I paid for dates," Avery said smiling slightly. Everyone else was walking into the church, nobody noticing them.

"Only the dates he asked you out on, otherwise you know he let you assert your independence," Veronica said and she chuckled as a tear fell from her eye.

"True, he use to tell me I spoiled him. Then again, when your born well off it comes natural," Avery said and Jean jumped in.

"That reminds me, Aunt Avery, Can I borrow thirty bucks," Jean said holding her hand out. Avery looked at her niece and smiled. Avery pulled out the money and handed it to her little niece. Since she'd been the only child born to a couple of old money it didn't bother her to spoil her little niece.

"Spend it wisely," Avery said and the teen smiled sadly.

"He said that'd be your response, the last time I saw him," Jean said and Avery sighed. He'd known her so well.

"Well, you guys should probably head into the church. Everyone is waiting for you," Avery said, trying to hide her tears.

"You should come in with us. You are his wife after all," Victoria said and Avery shook her head no.

"What, go in and say, Hi, I'm Ryan Wolfe's wife of two years none of you met let alone knew about. No, that would be outing him a liar to all of his friends. All I can do now is protect his integrity," she said saddened. "But thanks anyways."

Victoria smiled sadly and the three went separate ways. Victoria went inside, her daughter's hand in hers. Avery walked to her hummer and crawled in. Her blue green eyes looked in the mirror to find her long strawberry blonde hair was windblown. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears though her eyes were rimmed with red.

She looked away from her pale face she turned to the road in front of her. She drove down those roads. At one point she had to stop at a red light and glanced out her window. There she saw a restaurant she recognized. It was the same restaurant Ryan had proposed to her at.

It had been their five month anniversary – that time. They'd dated off and on since High school. They'd been coined the inevitable couple. She'd been popular, a jock and smart. He'd been a total nerd even wearing braces and glasses till he had surgery to correct his eyes his senior year.

He'd insisted on taking her out to some fancy restaurant he couldn't afford and wouldn't let her pay. He'd bought the most expensive wine, was wearing an expensive suit that fit him perfectly. She was wearing a beautiful red, strapless, designer dress that brought out the red in her hair perfectly.

Halfway through the date he'd gotten up, walked around the table. He'd told her he never wanted to be without her in his life. Then he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. She'd said yes immediately. He smiled and everyone in the restaurant clapped.

At that moment a horn honked from the car behind her and she realized the light was green. She pulled away and drove the rest of the way home.

As she arrived home she saw there was no life inside. The lights were turned off and there was no music to be heard. Ryan always listened to music. That was always what she arrived home to. She'd hear music coming from inside their place as Ryan cleaned.

He always told her, 'At work I can't control everything. People make a mess, I can't clean it up or I'll be spending my entire time cleaning instead of making a difference. Here, I can control my surroundings. I can keep them neat, organized like I need it to be organized.'

She looked around; everything was already becoming slowly disorganized. Her dishes from three days ago still sat in the sink unwashed. Though, she hadn't added any due to her lack of appetite.

Automatically she closed the door and slid her shoes off, placing them on the rack next to where his work shoes _should_ be resting. Instead they would never rest there again.

With a flick of the wrist she turned on the top light in the room but it just flickered then it popped silently.

"Great, the light's burnt out," she murmured to herself. She flipped the switch back off and made her way to the closet. She pulled out the ladder and a spare bulb. She took it to the light and switched the bulb. It was a mundane task but she did it automatically.

She looked around the room at the pictures of them together. There were pictures of her with her team, pictures of him with his team. They were with their separate families and him with her 'family' but none of her with his 'family'.

For some reason that irritated her now.

Avery sighed and glanced around the apartment already noticing subtle changes taking place within those walls. She knew if Ryan was still alive he'd be having a fit. The dishes were in the sink unwashed. The rug in front of the door was crooked. She'd left a book out yesterday. She hadn't been able to sleep in the bed she'd shared with him since his death.

Looking around she smiled. Before she and Ryan had moved in together she'd been a bit of a slob. Slowly he'd got her to clean up after herself, he got her to become half way neat and organized. She was no where near as neat as he'd ever been. She use to joke that he was born cleaning.

Now those jokes were over with. He'd never sit there and laugh at one of her corny jokes that weren't really funny. She'd never laugh as he turned red from embarrassment at something she'd done or said without thinking.

They would never again argue over things like who drank the last of the milk and forgot to put it on the list. About her job – him thinking she could do so much more than be just another beat cop. He'd always pushed her to try and get a job as a CSI or something along those lines.

Her argument had always been there was nothing wrong with being a beat cop but he told her there was a thrill with sticking through a case till the guy was caught. He'd always told her that if she stayed a beat cop she'd never know that thrill, that exhilaration when you caught the guy.

That argument they'd had regularly – right up there with putting the toilet seat down and forgetting to put the cap back on the tooth paste.

Truth be told, that put a smile on her face. It was small but obviously there. She felt bad, smiling but she knew Ryan wouldn't want her to be sad all of the time. He'd always hated it when she frowned and especially hated it when she'd cried. If he knew he was the cause of her tears he'd be slapping himself then holding her close apologizing.

She turned around and walked through their small home. Her heels clicked hollowly on their hardwood flooring. She quickly took off the suit jacket she was wearing and tossed into the dirty hamper right inside her bedroom door. She took off the rest of her clothing and put them in the hamper.

Then she slid on one of his tee-shirts, a dark gray one she'd bought him for Christmas last year. She shivered as she inhaled, his scent still lingering in the fabric which hung loosely on her body.

As she stood there she felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes. This wasn't the first person she'd lost. She understood how these things worked. Slowly she'd forget things. Her mind would distort other thing. The big things would stay the same but it would be the little things she'd loose.

Even now she was finding it harder and harder to remember his scent. She had reminders of it spread through out the house – in the sheets, his clothing, things like that. But fabrics held onto scents for only so long. They'd fade too before she was left with only a slight memory of what it _may_ have smelt like before.

And his voice. That would slowly fade from memory. The only help for that were the home videos they'd made over time. If it weren't for that she knew she'd forget. Those videos were reminders of the good times; good times they would never again see.

With a sigh she moved out to the living room, her bare feet padding across the hardwood flooring into the living room. She laid down on the couch and closed her eyes. She knew she had to get some rest.

Even with Ryan gone she still had a life to live. She'd have to push through. With that thought in mind she sighed and slipped off into a dreamless sleep.

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_[Well, another chapter done. So, what do you think so far? Was it good, bad, or neutral. Thanks for reading… TVGirl09]_


	3. Decisions

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

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Chapter Three  
Decisions

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Avery glanced at the application Alexx had brought by earlier at her little nieces insistence. They both told her to try and get a job with Ryan's team but she couldn't do that. Internally she was screaming not to even apply for the job.

She remembered how hard it had been for Ryan, replacing Officer Tim Speedle. They'd given him hell, made him feel useless. There had been so many times he'd told her he'd wanted to quit the job he loved because of them.

Inside, she didn't think she was as strong as he was. She didn't think she was as strong as he had been back then. She had gone about her day at work like normal. His funeral had been two days ago and she'd been burying herself in work. The only reason she was home was because her captain had sent her home early.

Burying yourself in work wasn't the healthiest thing to do but it was better than breaking down… again. After all, it had been nearly two weeks since his funeral.

She looked around her empty apartment at the pictures of her and Ryan. They were sad reminders of so many happy times.

With a sigh she turned away from the table trying to figure out whether to join. Right now Ryan would be having a parade because she was even considering it which made the whole idea of joining all that more appealing. On the other hand, she never did deal with other people very well.

She let what they said and thought get to her a little too much. It was a character flaw but it was hers. Ryan had always said it made her who she was. Now she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The house was silent as she stood there. It was deafening the silence and she needed to alleviate a bit of it so she went and turned on the radio. It hadn't been on in a while and she could tell. The station that began to play was one of Ryan's favorite country stations.

She quickly flipped the station to one of her favorites but flipped it back immediately. It was hard. She let the country music play even though she wasn't a huge fan of it. Ryan had been though. Thankfully, he hadn't been an oldies worshiper. Otherwise that might have caused a few issues.

Avery closed her eyes and listened to some female talk about her relationship that wasn't working out and Avery wanted to gag. She sighed as she sat on the couch with the application in her hand.

Inside she knew what she was going to do but she didn't want to admit it. That would mean yet another change she wasn't sure she was ready for. It was one thing to have a change planned but when it happened quickly like this it made everything else so difficult.

With a sigh she pulled out a pen and filled out the information then she called up Alexx.

"Alexx Woods speaking," Alexx said answering her phone.

"Hey, Alexx, I was wondering if you could do me a **huge** favor," Avery said.

"What is it honey, are you alright?" Alexx asked and Avery smiled. Of course one of her closest friends would assume something is wrong. That was the kind of person she was.

"I'm fine. I'm just hoping you could put in a good word for me with Mr. Caine," Avery said and after a moment she heard chuckling on the other side of the line.

"So you made your decision I see, going to transfer to the crime lab," Alexx asked.

"If I can get the job," Avery stated.

"You'll get it. Oh, Ryan would be so proud of you honey," Alexx said and Avery was sure he would be. A couple times before he'd tried to convince her to join the crime lab and just not tell every one they were married and together. She'd said no. Now she secretly wished she'd agreed to go along with the plan.

"I know he would be. But one condition. Don't tell them I'm married… I mean, I was married to Ryan. That would make things messy," Avery said after correcting herself. She hated this.

"I won't. But you should, when you feel ready," Alexx said.

"Thank You Alexx," Avery said. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"It's no problem honey. Now. I don't mean to rush you off the line but I have to be to work soon and am no where near ready. Don't worry, I'll talk to Horatio tomorrow and put in a good word for you," Alexx said and you could hear the smile in her voice.

"Thank you again. Talk to you tomorrow I guess," Avery said.

"Talk to you tomorrow," Alexx said then the line went dead. Avery put her phone away and sat there. The radio was playing country music.

She was doing it. She was joining the crime lab like Ryan always wanted her to.

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_[So, what did you think? Did you like it, dislike it? I know its shorter than chapter two and I apologize for that. She will be in the crime lab soon, don't worry about that. Any one got any ideas as to what evil situation I'm about to put her in? I hint at it in the first chapter… Anyways. Thanks for reading and thanks to the people who reviewed… TVGirl09]_


	4. Meeting Horatio

Taking Someone's Place  
TVGirl09

Chapter Four  
Meeting Horatio

Inside Avery Jones was all nerves. Over the years she'd seen Horatio Caine at the crime scenes she'd worked but she had never, personally, spoke with the man before. She was anxious that he wouldn't like her and that she wouldn't get the job.

Her hands tapped along the seam of her pants, a nervous habit. She glanced around praying she didn't say something stupid or make an ass out of herself. She also prayed she could keep her temper down.

Ryan had told her many times that Horatio Caine was a stern man who either liked you or he didn't. He was always fair and the crime lab was like his home. If somebody threatened it they were in a sense threatening him.

With all that in mind she hoped she'd make a good impression with her husband's boss. She stood there and watched as the red headed Horatio Caine walked in. He was wearing those same dark sunglasses Ryan always described.

"Are you Officer Jones?" Mr. Caine asked she nodded carefully. He stood there angled away from her.

"I am," she said looking him straight on. "You must be Mr. Caine."

"That is correct. I was looking at your resume and it is quite impressive ma'am," Mr. Caine said. "Why the sudden switch from patrol to the crime labs?"

She decided to be as truthful with her answer as she possibly could. It'd make it easier to remember besides; she didn't really want to get caught up in a lie if she could help it.

"For the longest time my husband encouraged me to try and work for the crime labs. I promised him I would think about it. This job came open so I decided to try and apply. He'd be proud right now if he saw me even attempting," she stated.

"I take it your husband has passed," Mr. Caine said and she nodded. She tried to gage his response but those sunglasses made that nearly impossible.

"Three weeks ago," she stated bluntly. That was a slight lie. It had only been two weeks and five days but who was counting.

"I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am," he said. She could have sworn she heard a slight hitch in his voice. She knew he'd been married once but she had died. Maybe he was thinking of that. She couldn't tell. "Are you sure you want to make such a drastic change so soon after?"

"Yes sir. My husband and I had been talking for a while now. I had only been waiting for an opening at one of the labs since I could work either day or night shift. I heard there was an opening here so I decided to jump at it," she stated. None of it was a lie… not really.

His face turned towards her. "Would you mind telling me how he died?" Horatio asked and she sighed.

"Work accident," she said vaguely. He nodded but didn't push the envelope further.

"Let me see your piece," he said and she nodded pulling it out and handing it to him. He examined it and then he asked for her backup so she handed it over easily. He examined it and she saw an eyebrow shoot up over the edge of his sunglasses for only a moment. It was just enough to know something was up.

"Is something wrong sir?" she asked looking at him.

"Are you OCD?" he asked handing them back to her and she shook her head no while smiling.

"No, my husband was. He use to clean my back up while I cleaned my regular piece every other day with him. It was time we spent together," she said only lying slightly this time. Yes, they'd cleaned their weapons together but he'd never once touched her guns.

"Your husband sounds slightly like the office who died just recently," he stated and she nodded not sure of how to respond to that one. What she wanted to say was _'well duh, they are the same guy after all.'_ She didn't think that would come out too well though.

"Thanks, I think," she said hesitantly and he nodded at her.

"What was your husband's name?" he asked. She answered automatically.

"Ryan Jones," she said thankful she'd thought in time to change his name to hers.

"Ryan huh?" Mr. Caine asked and she knew he was suspicious.

"Yeah," she said praying he'd play stupid even if he suspected something. She didn't want to have to explain anything right now.

"Well, if I had to choose from all the candidates I've seen so far I'd have to say you are the best qualified and with the recommendation Alexx gave me about you I'd say you have it. So…" he said pausing for effect. Then he spoke again with a smile. "When can you start?"

She smiled brightly. Was this really happening? From the look on his face it really was. Ryan would have been so proud.

"Are you serious?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yes Ma'am," he said and she smiled at him, tears prickling at her eyes. This time they were a mix of happy and sad. This was great news and he wasn't there to celebrate with her.

"Thank you," she said. "I can start whenever."

He nodded before turning his full front towards her. "I want you in the lab at nine on Friday."

"Thank you sir, you won't be disappointed," she said. Then she left there as her pager went off. Her captain was trying to find her since her phone was on silent.

-x-

Horatio watched the young woman leave and smiled. Now he understood what had been between those two. For years now whenever that young woman was at the same crime scene Ryan was at they always seemed to find each other. It never once interfered with there work or anything. They'd just work and talk. Sideways glances, brushes that lasted just a little too long, small smiles meant only for each other.

He might have been old but he wasn't blind or stupid and now he understood it. Young Mister Wolfe had been a married man and nobody had known. He wondered if Alexx did. Those two always had been close. It was strange, thinking Ryan Wolfe at Twenty-Eight could be happily married while Eric and Calleigh, who were older than him by several years, still hadn't got their heads out of their butts and found anyone yet… well, except each other.

That young woman had said her husband had just died, his name had been Ryan, he'd been OCD who cleaned a gun every other day with her. Those were thing Horatio knew Ryan had been and was.

So strange though, that his officer had been able to hide it. Especially if he'd loved her even half as much as she obviously did him from the way she appeared to be suffering. He knew what that felt like from experience.

He smiled and headed back for the labs. This was going to be interesting, having another Wolfe working for the lab – last name or not.

_[End of Chapter… So, what do you think? What do you think I could work on? How do you think everyone is going to respond to Avery Jones before they know she's Ryan's Widow? Anyone have any Predictions they'd like to share, I'm open to them. Thanks for Reading and Special thanks to everyone who has reviewed so Far… TVGirl09] _


	5. Recon

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

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Chapter Five

Recon

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"So, you hired Mrs. Jones as your new CSI I hear," Frank said and Horatio nodded his head.

"You worked with her before?" Horatio questioned wanting to know the man feelings about his newest team member.

"Yeah. I don't know her that well but I can tell you this much. She's a bit reclusive. She hardly ever spoke of her personal life and was very work oriented. I can tell you the woman is loaded and doesn't even have to work if she doesn't want. She does because she likes helping people," Frank Tripp said looking at Horatio. "She was also madly in love with her husband and rumors were spreading around that they were trying to get pregnant. No one knows much about said husband besides he recently died and it hit her hard."

Horatio nodded his head at his friend thinking about the young woman he'd met. She sounded like she'd fit with his team – once everyone got use to her and over the fact she was replacing Mr. Wolfe.

"Oh, and you won't have to worry about Valera liking her," Frank said and Horatio looked at the officer.

"Excuse me," Horatio asked confused. What did he mean by that?

"I'm surprised she didn't mention it. Apparently Ms. Valera and Mrs. Jones are old friends and Valera was even there when Mrs. Jones got married," Frank Tripp said and Horatio nodded.

Now he was beginning to wonder how many other people knew about Mr. Wolfe's marriage. Alexx most likely did considering she'd spoken highly of Mrs. Jones. Now Ms. Valera knew the truth. He couldn't help but wonder what else he was missing.

Usually he was very astute but it appeared he wasn't quite as good as he thought.

"She didn't mention it. That should make her integration into the lab easier though," Horatio admitted.

"Sorry Horatio but I need to get back to work," Frank said and Horatio nodded before the two went their separate ways. He went back to the lab and decided to have a conversation with Ms. Valera.

He entered the lab.

"Hey H. Those results aren't in yet," Valera said automatically.

"I'm not here about the results," he said closing the door. "I was wondering what you could tell me about Mrs. Avery Jones, the new CSI."

"Who do you mean?" she asked looking up from the evidence before her.

"Avery Jones, Ryan Wolfe's wife," Horatio said and Valera's eyes grew wide. She didn't have a very good poker face. "I know you know now tell me what you know about the new CSI.

"She told you she was his wife?" Valera asked and he shook his head.

"No, but you just did. Why didn't he ever mention being married before?" he asked and she shuddered.

"They were married while he was suspended from duty due to his gambling," Valera said. "There's a lot about that period of his life he kept very private. The only reason I know is through Ree… I mean Avery. I met her at one of my favorite clubs a year before they got married. It was six months before I found out they were even a couple. Ironic really, the people you meet."

"How did they meet, if you happen to know?" Horatio asked, curious about the young man he was beginning to realize he didn't really know as well as he thought.

Valera smiled. "That story I've heard a million times…"

--

_Thirteen-years-ago_

_--_

_It was late and there was a game occurring in the high school field. Everyone was pumped since it was the first game of the season for both teams. One was the team of a poor high school there in Miami while the other was the team of a high class Prep school. _

_Out there on those fields everyone was the same. It was all about the game, about winning for their team. Off of the field was another matter. In the dark, away from the fields, in the shade of a tree, sat a young man. He was a freshman in high school. Young, scrawny, braces, second hand clothes and a book in hand._

_His dark eyes were scanning the book he was reading when a noise caused him to look up. Walking towards him were five wrestlers. They were older than he was and definitely more popular. _

"_Look what we have here," the one in front said, obviously the leader. "If it isn't a little nerd."_

_The boy glanced back down at his book trying to ignore the taunts. _

"_Look at me when I'm speaking to you little boy," one of them said as another grabbed him by the colar and ripped him to his feet. _

"_Sherlock Holmes? Are you kidding me?" another one said pulling the book from the young ones hands. _

"_Hey," the boy cried. "Give that back."_

"_You don't tell us what to do," the other spat before shoving the young boy to the ground. _

"_Kick his ass boys," the leader said and the two goons stepped forward. The one pulled the young one's arms back and held him in place. The other stood in front of him. Then he punched him in the gut. He did it twice before a figure ran forward from the crowd. _

"_Stop that," a very young feminine voice said. She stepped to where they could see her. She was about the same age as the younger boy. She was really small, even for her age. _

_Her hair was done up in a bun on the back of her head which was a bright strawberry blonde. Her blue eyes shimmered in the dim lighting. Her small figure was covered by a cheerleaders uniform – one from the rich school which the young boy was obviously not a student of._

"_Get lost little girl," the leader said. _

"_I told you to stop," she said grabbing the one who was punching wrist. _

_He pushed her backwards and she fell to the ground. _

"_I said get lost," the leader said smiling at her, "little rich girl."_

"_Yeah, well, I said stop. I guess neither of knows how to listen," she stated before walking to the one who'd just punched the young one again. She stepped between the bully and his victim. _

_Then she brought her knee up right into his groin. His eyes grew wide and he groaned falling backwards. _

"_Get the bitch," The leader said stepping towards her. _

_The young one watched as the one who held him released his arms and moved around. Like a trained fighter the girl spun around and round house kicked him in the gut then spun and punched the other one in the nose, breaking it. _

"_Did I forget to mention I've got two black belts?" she asked as the boys groaned and moved away from her as fast as they could. With that she moved towards the young boy. She reached out to him but he flinched away from the touch. His lip was split and bleeding. _

"_Why are you helping me?" he asked as she reached out to grab the book he'd dropped. She smiled at him sweetly and his heart skipped a beat._

"_Because," she said smiling. "Everyone needs a little help sometimes. If I don't help when other people really need it then who is going to be there to help me when I need it? Besides, you're kind of cute."_

_He blushed and looked down at his hands._

"_I'm Avery by the way," she said holding out a French manicured hand. "Avery Jones, from the Jones Oil refinery."_

"_Ryan Wolfe," the boy said shaking her hand. They both smiled at each other and neither realized that other was thinking the exact same thing. 'I'm going to marry them some day.'_

_--_

Now

--

"That's how they met… at least how they tell it," Valera said and he nodded. It was interesting for him to hear that story though he could see what Valera meant when she said Avery was a cheerleader. She seemed the part.

"Anything I need to know about her," Horatio asked and he noticed she hesitated slightly. "What is it, Ms. Valera?"

"She and Ryan were attempting to get pregnant before he died. I'm pretty sure they'd just got done… 'Attempting' before you called him in that morning. This means she may in fact be pregnant now and just not be aware of it yet. I think you should be aware of it just in case she stops by and tells you she has to go on maternity leave soon," Valera said and Horatio nodded.

"When do you think she'll find out if she really is pregnant or not," Horatio asked and Valera shrugged.

"If you really want I could take some of her blood and do the test myself, if you authorize it," Valera said and he nodded.

"You do that. I need to know if one of my people is going to need to be needing time or not," Horatio said. Then he paused. "She'd be about three weeks along if she is, am I correct?"

"Yeah, she'd had a doctor's appointment three days before and he'd told her when she'd have her best chances of conceiving would be. The day Ryan died, that was the day she'd been told was best for their chances. Oh, don't tell her I've told you all this. She'd kill me if she knew," Valera stated. He nodded.

"Thank you ma'am," he said before sliding his glasses on his face. "Please, get the test done before she comes to work Friday."

She nodded and he left her standing there.

--

_[Well, another Chapter done. So, what did you think? Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who reviewed… TVGirl09]_


	6. Blood Tests

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

--

Chapter Six

Blood Tests

--

It was late and there was a knock at the front door. Avery sighed as she moved from the bathroom. Ever since arriving home today she'd been feeling sick and the mess she'd just had to clean up in the toilet was a testimony to that fact. Inside she was afraid of what this nausea could mean.

She knew that she and Ryan had been trying but that was before he'd died. She didn't know if she'd be able to make it as a single mom. Sure, financially they were sound since she owned her house, owned her own car, had plenty of cash in the bank. No, it was everything else she didn't know if she'd survive.

Avery opened the door and saw Max's face there. It was pensive.

"Max, what's wrong?" Avery asked as Maxine Valera hurried into the house.

"He knows, Ree. I don't know how he knows but he knows," Max said confusing Avery. "I mean, he came out and asked me how long and all sorts of questions and I started answering. I didn't mean too it just sort of happened."

"Slow down Max," Avery said trying to calm down her panicking friend. "Who knows what?"

"Horatio knows you and Ryan were married. He confronted me about it. I just started rambling. He asked all sorts of questions," Valera said before looking down.

Her friend was hiding something else. Avery could see it all over her face.

"What else happened?" Avery asked.

"I may have kind of let it slip that you might, sort of, be pregnant," Maxine hesitated and Avery felt a sudden rush of anger sweep over her.

"YOU WHAT?" Avery all but yelled before pulling back. She closed her eyes and breathed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just panicking. I talked and it sort of came out," Max said.

"God, now he's going to think I'm hiding it and fire me," Avery stated putting her face in her hands.

"No, I covered that. I told him you didn't know, only that you'd been trying. He ordered me to do a test with the lab equipment to see if you are. His reasoning was he needed to know if one of his CSI's is going to need maternity leave," Maxine said. "I'm here to take the blood needed for the test. Blood is the best way to find out."

"Fine," Avery stated. Max drew the blood quickly.

"I'll get this to the lab and run the test personally. Don't worry," Max said as she put a hand on Avery's shoulder to calm her. All those worries and fears began to fill Avery's mind and she didn't know if she could do it now.

She still found herself wanting to cry all of the time. She was transferring jobs. This wasn't a good time for her to be having a baby.

Max left her as she sat on her couch. After a while she got up and moved to the picture that had been taken of the two of them. It was taken on their wedding day. Neither one was wearing the 'normal' wedding attire.

They were standing on the beach while the sun was setting in the background. He was in that hideous blue Hawaiian top with white pineapples all over it and a pair of kaki pants. She was standing in a little white strapless dress with little red flowers all over it. Her hair was pulled back and she had a flower above her right ear.

Truth be told, they looked more like tourists visiting Florida then Florida cops getting married.

She smiled at the picture and her hands came to rest on her stomach. Then there was another knock at the door and she sighed. She turned and moved to open it. She found Alexx standing there.

"Hey Alexx, what can I do you for?" Avery asked as she leaned against the door with her shoulder.

"Just came to check on you, baby," Alexx said.

"Did you tell Horatio I'm Ryan's widow?" Avery asked and Alexx jumped.

"Of course not. Why, what's happened?" Alexx asked stepping inside.

"Horatio knows somehow. I guess Ryan wasn't exaggerating about that preternatural sense of observation he has," Avery said with a sigh before sitting on the couch with Alexx next to her.

"Well, he is the best," Alexx said nonchalantly.

Avery nodded but her mind was busy. Alexx seemed to see that.

"Are you okay?" Alexx asked.

"Fine, I'm just thinking," Avery stated but Alexx gave her that look that told Avery she knew something was up. "I'm worried that I might be pregnant and Ryan's not here."

"Are you sure?" Alexx asked concerned.

"No, I've just started to be nauseous today but we'd been trying before Ryan died. I'd be just under a month pregnant so… I'm scared. I've never been good with babies. Kids I can handle but babies, they were Ryan's thing. He was great with babies. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it," Avery stated. She really hated it. She felt like she was whining a lot anymore and that wasn't her.

"Honey, you'd make a great mother," Alexx said and Avery rolled her eyes.

"You can't know that. No one ever knows if they'll make a good parent or not. The kindest sweetest person can make the worst parent and vice-versa. With my new job I'll be busy all the time. I won't have time to work as a CSI and be a good parent," Avery stated and Alexx gave her a glare.

"I worked at the morgue for the CSI's and was a mom… are you saying something about me?" Alexx asked and Avery shook her head no.

"You had your husband to help you. I won't. Ryan's gone, I'll be a single mom raising a child on my own," Avery stated. "Besides, I didn't exactly have the best parental role models you know."

Alexx nodded her head then Avery lowered her head and sat down.

"Honey, fear is a natural part of a pregnancy. Trust me, I was terrified with both of my pregnancies. If it turns out you are pregnant you will fight back. You are very resilient. You'll make it through just fine. Besides, a baby with Ryan would be something tangible that you could hold onto. A part of him would still be with you," Alexx stated and Avery looked at her trying to figure out how the good doctor always knew what to say to make her feel alright.

"Thanks," Avery said as she sat there.

"No problem. Now, I don't mean to be rude but I need to get home. I just got off my shift so my family is probably waiting for me," Alexx said and Avery just nodded.

"Go, have fun with the family," Avery said with a smile. Alexx stood up and left. Avery then decided to go crawl in the shower. She crawled in and felt the warm water hit her aching muscles.

She stood in there for what seemed like forever. It was long enough for the hot water to run out. When it became cold she stepped out and slid into one of Ryan's shirts. She went to the living room, her bare feet padding across the cold hard wood floors.

Her phone began to ring and she quickly grabbed it from the table.

"Jones," she said into the phone.

"Avery, the results are in," Max said over the line.

"Well," Avery asked impatiently. She needed to know either way.

"It was positive. You are pregnant," Maxine said and Avery froze. Then she breathed in deeply and released it. "Ree, are you still there?"

"Yeah, thanks for telling me," Avery said in a monotone voice.

"You going to be okay?" Maxine asked.

"I'll be okay," Avery replied as her right hand settled on her stomach. "I'll talk to you later, is that okay?"

"Yeah," Max said after hesitating slightly. "Bye."

"Bye," Avery said right before hanging up.

Avery stood there in shock. She was having a baby… she was going to have a baby. A small smile spread across her face. She and Ryan were having that baby they'd wanted.

--

_[What did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Thank you for reading and thanks for reviewing...]_


	7. First Day

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Seven

First Day

Tuesday morning Avery Jones was given a job by Horatio Caine. Tuesday night she'd discovered she was pregnant with Ryan Wolfe's baby. Now it was Friday morning and she was suppose to be starting work soon and there she was leaning over the toilet sick to her stomach.

As she straightened her back and flushed the toilet she murmured, "Why couldn't I be one of those women with no morning sickness?"

With that said she moved to the sink and rinsed her mouth before brushing her teeth, again. Then she stood up and looked at herself in the full length mirror posted on the back of the bathroom door. Her long strawberry blonde hair was up in a bun. She was wearing a pale blue button up top beneath a light gray jacket that matched her pants. On her feet she was wearing a pair of black ankle height boots.

She wasn't wearing much make-up. Just a little light pink on her lips, light grey eye shadow, nothing else.

When she was pleased with her appearance she left the house and moved to her hummer. She drove to work.

There at work she walked inside, her mind reeling. She wasn't watching where she was going and she bumped into somebody.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Avery said immediately before turning to look at the woman she'd bumped into. The woman was taller than her… then again that's not hard when you barely stand five foot two. She had long blonde hair and green eyes.

Instinctively she knew she'd just bumped into the infamous Calleigh Duquesne.

"Don't worry about it," Ms. Duquesne said with a wide infectious smile that Ryan had mentioned so often and that accent that was so distinct there was no guessing where she came from originally. "Can I help you?"

"Um, well, today is my first day and I'm searching for Mr. Caine. He didn't exactly tell me where I would be working," Avery stated and she noticed Ms. Duquesne's face changed. There were a few facial clues there that made it appear as if she'd just soured her opinion of her. Her once happy smile became tight and pinched, maybe even strained. Her eyes were no longer glowing with joy but they were forced. Obviously, she didn't like Avery.

"Well, welcome," Ms. Duquesne said, her voice holding a slight edge to it. "I'm Calleigh Duquesne."

"I'm Avery Jones, Ms. Duquesne," Avery said holding out her hand to the woman. To her credit Ms. Duquesne shook it though it was less than enthusiastically.

"I'll show you to Horatio's office," Ms. Duquesne stated before motioning for Avery to follow. They walked through the office and Avery felt sheepish. All eyes kept turning to look at her. She didn't like being stared at which was ironic since most kids from rich parents loved it.

They arrived at the door of an office and Ms. Duquesne nodded.

"Yes," the familiar voice of Mr. Caine said from inside.

"Hey H, that new girl you hired is here," Ms. Duquesne said and he looked up. His eyes glanced back and forth between them.

"Thank you Ms. Duquesne," he said formally. She nodded and left leaving Avery in the doorway of the office. "Come in Mrs. Jones and close the door behind you." She looked at him and entered slowly, doing as he said.

She was nervous. The tone of voice he was using intimidated her more than just a little bit. The fact he was wearing sunglasses in his office wasn't much better either.

"Please, sit down," Mr. Caine stated and she sat in front of his seat. He grabbed his sunglasses and pulled them off to reveal really, really blue eyes. "Well, I hear congratulations are in order Mrs. Jones."

"I suppose so," she states looking at him nervous.

"Mrs. Jones. I have very few rules; one of them is no hiding things from me… no lying to me. I know Mr. Ryan Wolfe is your late husband… I know you are pregnant. No more lying to me," he said.

"I apologize," she stated. "I wanted to respect Ryan's wishes. He was a very private person… we both are. I didn't want for people to think I got the job because I was his wife… how did you know I am his wife anyways?"

"When I was at a crime scene where the two of you were I'd noticed little things. You two would give each other little glances from across the scene. You two would pass each other you're hands would often brush each other. You'd lean into each other as you spoke. Your eyes would both scream of love… I never realized you two were married though, not until you mentioned it," he stated.

"I see," she stated before covering her mouth with her hand as another spell of nausea hit.

"Are you okay?" he asked and she nodded but she didn't answer. "Morning sickness?" She nodded again and then breathed as it subsided somewhat.

"I've been this way since late Tuesday," she told him and he nodded.

"I'm putting you on lab duty," Mr. Caine said and her face looked up.

"Why?" she asked before she realized what she'd just said. She could have slapped herself.

"Your apart of my team and I don't want your baby too close to anything dangerous. I also want you to take extra precaution when handling the chemicals," he said and she nodded.

"Yes sir," she stated.

"So, how did everyone who knows find out," Mr. Caine asked.

"Well, I knew Maxine for six months before I found out she worked with Ryan. That was about six months before we got married…"

_Two and a half Years ago…_

"_Come on," Avery stated leading Ryan across the club towards the bar. "It'll be fun. You'll like Max, I just know it."_

"_Honey, I don't really like places like this," Ryan said, yelling over the loud Rock music that was vibrating the floors and walls. He glanced around with wary eyes, taking notice of every empty and unattended glass. He really didn't like clubs and she knew it. His OCD would be driving him crazy and he'd want to clean up._

"_Baby, humor me. I'll make it worth your while," Avery promised teasingly and he smiled._

"_I'm sure you will," he stated as she hurried towards the bar, dragging him by the hand. _

"_Max," she yelled tapping her friend on the shoulder. Maxine turned around and her eyes instantly bugged but Avery didn't take any notice. "This is my Fiancé…"_

"_Ryan? You're hot, dreamy, love-me-all-over-the-house is one of the guys I work with Ryan Wolfe?" Maxine asked and Avery's jaw dropped. _

"_Valera?" Ryan asked in just as much shock as Max was. _

_Maxine Valera smiled at them, him a head taller than Avery. "Call me Maxine, Maxy, Max, something else. We're in public," she yelled so that she could be heard with a smile. "Oh this is so blackmail worthy."_

_Ryan shook his head while they laughed at his expense. _

Now

"Well, interesting," Mr. Caine said trying to keep from laughing. After a moment of needing to regain composure he finally settled down. "So, how did Alex find out?"

"That's a whole other story…"

_Five-Months-Ago_

_Avery was sitting at the table waiting for their food. It was a little dinner the couple frequented on lunch breaks. _

_She was eating a chicken sandwich and onion rings, he was having a cheese burger and fries. Everything was going great, it was busy but it always was. That's when Ryan tensed up, his eyes on the front door. _

_Curious as to what would make her husband tense up like that she turned to see the face of Alexx Woods entering. He instantly tried to hide his face but she spotted him._

"_Ryan," Alexx said walking towards them. She didn't seem to notice Avery at first but her eyes grew wide when she did. She smiled as she arrived at the table. "Who is this? I'm Alexx Woods."_

_Alexx held out her hand for Avery to take and Avery shook it eagerly. "Avery Jones, I'm Ryan's Girl."_

"_Really, I didn't know he was seeing anyone," Alexx said and Avery smiled._

"_He's not," Avery said as Ryan visibly sunk into the stall. Avery held out her left hand. "I'm his wife." Alexx's eyes became as wide as saucers. _

"_Wife?" Alexx asked in shock. Avery just nodded as Ryan sunk lower in his seat, his face turning bright red. "And why wasn't I invited to the wedding?"_

"_No one was… nobody knew since it happened when he was suspended," Avery stated and Alexx's jaw dropped._

"_So you've been married about two or so years and didn't tell me… I'm hurt Ryan," Alexx said glaring at him. _

"_I'm sorry," he said not even looking up from his burger. _

"_You better be, now scoot, I want to hear all about your guys relationship," Alexx said forcing Avery to scoot down the booth they were in. Alexx then sat down next to her. _

Mr. Caine was trying not to laugh at the image of Alexx scooting in the booth with them.

"Lets just say, she's been close to the both of us ever since. She's been kind of like the mother-in-law I had to appease," Avery stated with a small wistful smile on her face.

"Well, I hate to have to do this but we both have work. I don't think sitting around chatting all day would work out that well do you?" Mr. Caine asked and she shook her head with a small smile on her face.

"I'll go to work… which lab should I work in," Avery asked and Mr. Caine pointed her in the direction of the lab. She thanked him then hurried out. She arrived and it was empty.

She set off to examine evidence, her mind going over protocol silently as she went. About two hours after she began walk in came strutting a hot Latino man. Inside, she had no doubt this was Eric Delko. His whole attitude screamed of player.

He froze as soon as he saw her but he quickly brushed it off. She noticed his eyes skimming the length of her body and she just wanted to jack him in the eye.

"You must be Ryan Wolfe's new Replacement," he stated looking at her straight in the eye. "Lets get one thing straight… you'll never be as good as Ryan so don't even try to be."

Avery glanced at him and smiled her sweetest smile.

"Now, that was rude. From the first impression and just now second impression you gave me I'd say you were a rude arrogant, chauvinist jackass but then, maybe that's just me," she stated with the sweetest smile.

"What do you mean first impression?" he asked giving her a glare.

"Seven months we were working a scene together… you a CSI and I on patrol, anyways, there I was getting witness descriptions when you came up and started hitting on me. You were standing next to a dead body while hitting on me. I told you to get lost then flashed you my ring. Your partner, Mr. Wolfe apologized for you once you left. He was sweet, you weren't," she stated bluntly.

His jaw dropped. "That cop was you?"

"Yeah," she stated then she turned to go to work, ignoring his presence. She so wanted to punch him.

"I'm sorry, I guess I do come off as an ass then," he stated and she shrugged but didn't turn around.

"Well, I understand you just lost your friend so I'll forgive you this time… If it happens again I promise you I won't be so forgiving," she stated barely glancing over her shoulder at him.

"What do you know what it's like to loose someone?" Eric asked and she turned around.

"I lost my parents when I was eighteen thanks to a car crash, When I first joined the force one of my best friends was murdered, my husband died less than a month ago so I know plenty of loss," she stated and he paled.

"Sorry… I didn't know," he stated and she nodded.

"I'll chalk that one up with the first apology. Now, if you don't mind, I've got work to do," she said and he nodded.

He left without another word and she turned back to work. The rest of the day went by without incident. Max stopped by so that they could BS for awhile but other than that everything was relatively calm.

Guys kept checking her out but she'd grown use to that pretty quick. She was something new to look at. They were kids with new toys. Things would settle down eventually.

She left from the lab, her feet walking.

-x-

Eric Delko hadn't been able to stop himself from thinking about the new Lab Tech – Avery Jones. He was standing at his vehicle preparing to crawl in when he saw Mrs. Jones step out of the building.

He noticed her mind seemed distracted as she walked through that parking lot. He understood the pain of loss. Though he'd never lost a lover he'd lost a sister and two best friends, though the one he'd never admit he was friends with out loud.

He'd been so pissed at Ryan that he hadn't thought about the fact his friend could die out there, especially with the Russians after the team.

Still, he looked at the young woman and was caught off-guard when he realized she was about the same age Ryan had been. She was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. It was surreal.

That's when he made his choice… he'd decided he'd be nicer to her and slowly ease her into his jackass side. She needed friends right now, especially with the loss she'd recently experienced.

With that in mind he crawled in his vehicle and pulled out.

_[So, what do you think so far? Do you like it; hate it, neutral feelings towards it? Thanks to everyone who read and thanks to everyone who reviewed… TVGirl09]_


	8. Matter of Perspective

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Eight

Matter of Perspective

_[This Chapter is from other perspectives and it jumps from person to person over a span of a couple weeks. Bare with me. It is to get the perspective of others.]_

Calleigh Duquesne didn't like the new girl. That was obvious to anyone and everyone. The new girl had been with them a week and Calleigh had treated her like a non-person.

Sitting there she saw the young woman moving through the lab with ease. It pissed her off, how easy working at the lab came to the new girl. The same thing had happened with Ryan and she hated associating the new girl to him.

She was standing there glaring at her from a far when a familiar voice spoke up. She turned around to see Eric walking up behind her.

"Hey," she called as he came up to her.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked and she shrugged not wanting to admit her darker thoughts. Normally she wasn't like this but that new girl annoyed the hell out of her. The fact rumors had already begun to spread saying she was pregnant didn't help with those emotions.

The new girl was knocked up and just switched a job making her life unstable. Why would anyone plan that course of action was beyond her, especially so soon after her husband had died. Yeah, that little bit of information was spinning around the office as well.

"Come on Cal, I know you, what's going on in that mind of yours," Eric asked and Calleigh sighed.

"I don't like the new girl for some reason," Calleigh admitted.

"Have you even tried to get to know her?" Eric asked and she shook her head. Internally she was wondering why should she. She knew she wasn't being fair but she was really tired of this. She'd been close to Speed and he'd died. She'd been close to Ryan and she'd lost him. She was close to Eric and she'd nearly lost him… twice. At one point she'd thought she'd lost Horatio, too. Getting to know anyone in this line of work only left you hurting once they were gone.

"Not really," she admitted to him.

"Well, then don't judge her till you get to know him. You gave me that same advice when Ryan joined the team… it's my turn to return the favor for the sake of the new girl," Eric said looking her straight in the eye. She smiled at him and nodded. Just then Horatio walked into the room and Eric walked away leaving Calleigh to think about what he'd said.

-x-

Natalia Boa Vista looked at the new girl who was sitting at one of the tables in the break room chatting with Valera. She had to admit the new girl was quite the little beauty. And from the expression and body language of every male who came into contact with her she could see they could tell that too.

They'd ogle her but the new girl appeared oblivious to it. In fact, the look that often filled the new girl's bright blue eyes was one of sadness. She hadn't had a real smile in them since she'd met her.

But, from what Natalia had heard, that was to be expected. No one got over grief quickly, especially when it was someone you loved. Natalia had also noticed Eric kept avoiding the new girl – probably afraid of being his normal self around her or something. Eric's personality did often come off making him look like a complete and total ass.

"Hey Nat," a voice called and Nat jumped realizing Maxine Valera was calling her over. She smiled widely and walked towards them. She knew Valera knew Jones from outside of work which made her question what kind of things the young strawberry blonde was into.

"Hey guys, do you mind?" Natalia asked as she motioned to one of the chairs. Jones nodded signaling it was fine. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Ryan… I mean, my husband, Ryan," Jones said and Natalia smiled at the stuttering young woman.

"Your husband's name was Ryan?" Natalia asked and Jones smiled.

"He was the sweetest most loving man I ever knew," Jones said whimsically. "He was devoted to me when we were together. That's not to say he didn't have his own problems. His parents were abusive when he was young and he was afraid of becoming like them. He also had a small gambling problem which I helped him work through. My Ry hated messes, especially since he was OCD. I loved the way he made sure all of the house work was done. He wouldn't let me help because he told me I didn't do it right," Jones said with a sad smile.

"Reminds me a lot of Ryan Wolfe," Natalia said with a smile. In honest truth her husband sounded a lot like their dead officer. But she brushed it off as coincidence. Ryan wasn't married. He couldn't have hid a secret as big as being married from them.

"I wouldn't know," Jones said looking down at her plate.

Natalia was about to speak when Horatio walked by the door. His eyes swept the room but the lingered on Jones a little longer than need be. He appeared sad, almost sympathetic towards her. Then again that was to be expected. He'd lost his wife so he knew the pain that she was feeling.

Still, there was something else in that look. She couldn't identify the expression she saw in his bright blue eyes. It wasn't sympathy, it wasn't lust, it wasn't anger or pity. She couldn't identify it. It was almost as if that look spoke something, that there was something hidden that he knew, but that didn't make sense to Natalia.

Once again she shrugged it off but her mind began spinning. Her curiosity was peeked. Jones had started working there at the Crime Lab a week and a half ago, and no one – besides Valera that is – knew much about the new girl.

She was intrigued. With that in mind the three women sat there and chatted about the latest gossip inside the Crime Lab, about who they thought were cute, and bands they liked. This lasted for forty-five minutes.

At the end Natalia learned a lot about the New Girl, and may have just made a friend if she played her cards right.

-x-

Eric Delko knew he was an ass. It was his main setting. It helped him get confessions out of people; it helped keep people at arms length. He was smug and could be considered a womanizer.

Looking at the new girl he found himself staring at someone who could very well have been him – except the womanizing part of course considering it was obvious she liked dick. Still, she wasn't like that. She'd obviously lost people but she hadn't become jaded like he had from the experiences.

In fact, she looked like she was more alive now than she had when he'd first met her two weeks ago.

He smiled as he watched her hurry from the lab to the bathroom. News had gotten around pretty quickly that there was going to be a baby CSI in the labs. There hadn't been one of those born there since he'd joined. It was weird for him to think of a colleague having a baby, especially the young new one.

Still, he knew it was this fact that had her smiling and fighting to survive. Rumors soared about her past but he wasn't much of a gossip. He tried to avoid that topic of conversation as much as possible. Of course, every night he had to hear about it from Calleigh Duquesne who delved into everyone else's business.

As the new girl stepped out of the bathroom he watched her wondering what was going through her mind. He'd spoken to her a few times though he mostly avoided her. If he avoided her then there was little risk of having a repeat occurrence happen like their first meeting, first lab meeting he amended mentally, where he had made a complete and total ass out of himself in true Eric Fashion.

His mind was still spinning at the nice little tongue lashing she'd given him that first day. The New Girl, Jones, was a strong young woman. She had fire, she had passion, but she also had compassion. He'd seen her talking to the family of a victim the other day and she'd been amazing. He had seen her body language, the way her voice had sounded, she'd done everything right.

It was like she'd taken lessons with Horatio on how to be victim support or something. All in all, from what he'd seen of the New Girl, he liked her. She was a good person.

That was something at least. Still, she'd never be as good as Ryan Wolfe but she'd be good in her own right.

-x-

Horatio glanced at Mrs. Avery Jones file which sat on his desk. Her picture was one of a young patrol officer smiling sweetly. He was amazed at how strong she was. When his wife had died he'd been all about revenge going so far as to track the guy down. Not her though.

She hadn't even asked for more detail on his death. After reading about it in the paper she'd been fine with what little she knew. He couldn't understand it. He would have dug deeper. Hell, when it had been his brother he _had_ dug deeper. Of course, his brother hadn't really been dead the first time and had died in his arms the second time. There was no questioning that.

Still, he was surprised at her. He'd found victims families often asked what happened but not her. It was like she was trying to hold on. Then again, the last memory she had of him was from that morning.

It was possible she was trying to preserve that image. He couldn't be sure. He didn't really know much about her. She kept herself separate from people for the most part. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

With a sigh he glanced at his new agent – not yet a field agent due to the risk it would put the baby in but eventually he planned on moving her to the field. She'd get tired of being stuck in a lab after transferring in from the patrol if he didn't watch it.

He blinked several times before reaching forward and turning off his lamp. Night shift had already started. He was running slightly behind. He picked up Mrs. Jones folder up off of his desk and was about to put it away when he stopped. Instead he turned around and placed it on his desk once more.

Then he turned around and walked away leaving it out and open.

-x-

Maxine Valera was standing at the bar of one of her favorite Miami Night Clubs. It was one she and Avery often frequented when Ryan decided to pull a double and Avery needed to go out so she didn't go stir crazy.

In front of Maxine stood a very dark and dangerous looking man. She was smiling and flirting shamelessly.

"Hey, Max," a voice called and Maxine glanced around to find herself staring at a very familiar blonde walking her way.

"Ree," Maxine squealed as she rushed away from the guy kind of rudely so she could go hug her friend. Ryan had died weeks ago and her friend hadn't been out to any of the regular clubs since then. That was before she'd started the 'new job' which had started four weeks prior to this little outing.

This was from a woman who use to go out to the clubs twice a week at least just so she could be in a crowd of people to remind herself why she did what she did. So that she could feel the music vibrating through her.

Rarely did Avery have a drink other than a regular old coke. Now Max guessed she wouldn't be drinking anything for a very long while.

Maxine hugged her friend who after a moment coughed and Valera cringed before stepping back. Her friend, who wasn't even showing her pregnancy yet.

"Hey, it's good to see you out and about again," Max said smiling widely at her friend.

"I decided it was time to try and go back to normal as much as possible. Plus, I'm tired of being so lonely lately," she stated with a shrug and a smile. That was so Avery. She hated loneliness. She had to have companionship. That's not to say she needed a man to survive, she just needed friends – people around her so she knew there was life out there.

That's why she used to go to the clubs a lot when Ryan couldn't be home. It reminded her that she wasn't the only person out there. She loved meeting new people. She was a creature of habit, since his death it had been hard on her. It was going to get even harder when the baby came but she knew her friend would be fine with the changes.

The duo were started to move towards 'their' corner when a brawl started at the bar. Max and Avery glanced at each other with a smile. Then they stepped forward, taking charge. Bouncers made their ways toward them till they spotted Maxine and Avery's presences. The regulars stepped out of the way as the two women broke up the brawl.

Then the party restarted as they led the two drunken idiots outside. The two women started laughing as they returned inside. It was good to be back and it was good for her best friend to be there with her.

Nothing was the same, yet everything still was. This was why Max was smiling that night.

_[I hope you liked it, I'm not sure if I do but still. I figured a little insight into what everyone thought of Avery might be needed. Plus it'll help explain why everyone acts the way they do towards her. Well, thanks for reading and special thanks to everyone who's reviewed. The next chapter will take place when Avery is about four and a half months along in the pregnancy… TVGirl09]_


	9. Complicated

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Nine

Complicated

Avery Jones, four months along now, got up and looked at her slightly protruding stomach in the mirror. It wasn't as noticeable as it could have been but it still showed more than she thought it should on her tiny structure.

Then again, that tiny structure could be why her pregnancy was showing as much as it was. A couple of the guys had seriously asked if she was carrying twins. According to the ultrasound she'd had she was only carrying one so she'd had to tell them no.

It was one of those things. She was thankful that Eric Delko didn't give her much crap. After that first day Eric had spoken only civil to her. Every so often a snide comment would be made but for the most part he was cool.

She'd actually been worried about him more than anyone else. Now she could see it was stupid to worry about it so much. Now she wondered if she should have been worried about Calleigh Duquesne instead of him.

That woman seemed to have an unnatural loathing of Avery that she couldn't comprehend. Yeah, the woman had been close to Ryan but still. She'd taken everything she'd thrown at and proven her worth yet Ms. Duquesne still didn't trust her. The fact no longer upset her – no, it just annoyed her.

Then again, that might just be hormones. They had been messing with her from nearly the beginning of the pregnancy. Avery stepped away from the mirror and walked through her apartment.

If she didn't leave now she knew she'd be late for work and she didn't really need that. Stetler had been threatening her career anyways so she didn't need to give him any reason to fire her.

With that she rushed out of the house to her vehicle and sped down the roads. She arrived at work a few minutes before she was meant to which meant she wasn't late yet. She went inside to find Horatio standing there with a case file in his hands.

"Hey H," she called looking at him with a smile.

"Hello Mrs. Jones," he said politely though his voice was very kind and sweet. "Cutting it a little close aren't you?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," she said stopping in front of him. "So, what case are we working on today?"

He chuckled at her curiosity before responding. "Double murder, an older couple was murdered in their apartment."

"Okay," she stated with a nod. "Who do you think did it from what we know so far?" He shook his head at her insistence.

"I honestly don't know, Yet." He said, adding the yet at the end after a brief pause. That was his way. She'd learned that early on. He was a great guy, once you got past his superman complex which would one day get him killed – of that she was sure.

"I know you will, boss man," she said laughing before groaning as a figure walked towards them. She wanted to gag. The figure had never liked her. He, thankfully, had hid her relationship with Ryan from the rest of the other teammates, for now. He'd been IAB for her patrol unit to.

"Hello Mrs. Jones," he said looking at her smiling. "You are late. If it was me I'd have fired you long ago but since your dear deceased husband and Horatio were friends…"

"He has nothing to do with why I got this job," she snapped at Stetler. She didn't trust him at all. Then again, no one ever trusted IAB. They were that thorn in your side you just can't seem to remove no matter how hard you try.

"Right. I'm sure you came in with the sob story of how you just lost your husband or something. Were there tears?" Stetler asked snidely and she had to hold back because she really wanted to punch him right in the face.

"You're just jealous because I turned you down when you asked me out," she stated. "Of course, I'd never have gone out with someone as greasy as you but still."

His lips pinched angrily. She read his body language. He was getting pissed off at her.

"Rick, leave the girl alone. I didn't know Ryan was her husband right away and she didn't even mention it until I asked her about it. She isn't getting any fair treatment. Now, if you don't mind, we both have work to do," Horatio said as he turned to her offering her to go first.

Avery so wanted to stick her tongue out at Rick Stetler as she walked past him but that was a very juvenile act she wouldn't lower herself for. He wasn't worth it.

As she got away she chanced a glance back. Stetler was staring after her, his eyes glued to her ass. She bit her lip to keep from gagging. He was such a sleeve bag. How anyone could stand him she didn't know. He ranked right up there with those blood sucking lawyers.

"Thanks," she mumbled to Horatio when they moved out of Stetler's hearing range.

"No problem Mrs. Jones," he said. She went to turn towards him but the room began to spin and she blinked a couple times. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" she asked looking at the floor trying to stay grounded.

"You're swaying," Horatio said touching her arm. She breathed in and closed her eyes and slowly the room stopped spinning. Feeling stable she looked up to see Horatio staring at her intently.

"I'm fine now H," she stated. "Just a small dizzy spell."

"Mrs. Jones, That's not very healthy. When was the last time you went to the doctor?" her boss asked in his authoritative voice.

"Last week. I was given a clean bill of health. Please, don't go getting all overprotective of me now. I'm fine," she stated while looking at her boss straight in the eye. He looked at her and she could see turmoil in those bright blue eyes of his.

"I want you to make an appointment for tomorrow. If you have to, take time off for it," he stated. "Now, get to work before I change my mind."

She saluted him sarcastically before hurrying off to the lab where she found a bunch of work waiting for her.

-x-

Horatio watched her from the other side of the glass. He'd never verbally admit it but he was worried about the newest member of his lab. He knew from Ms. Valera that was not the first dizzy spell she'd had in the past few days.

If it wasn't her he was worried about then it was the baby she was carrying. Dizzy spells like that could be signifiers for a lot of medical issues. He really didn't want to risk a member of his team for anything, even lab work.

From the window he saw her laughing and smiling with Eric who seemed to like her. Not once had he hit on her. He seemed to take to protecting her as best as he could. Not that Mrs. Jones allowed anyone to protect her.

He'd discovered early on she was just as stubborn as her husband had been. She refused help adamantly. Normally she was one of the first into the lab and was the last one out. She spent more time here in work than she was out. Inside he worried that she'd work herself into the ground and in her current state that wouldn't be good.

Horatio Caine sighed as one of his CSI's came towards him with a file. He didn't really pay attention to he was, obviously distracted by his youngest tech.

-x-

Eric laughed as she told him about the time she'd tried to bake a birthday cake for her husband only to find she couldn't find a single thing in her kitchen and mixed in Baking Soda instead of Baking Powder.

"What did he do?" he asked as he helped her with the recent evidence.

"He smiled, went out to the kitchen, tossed the cake and we wound up eating the frosting, licking it off each other's stomachs," she said smiling. "That led to other stuff if you know what I mean."

He cringed at the imagery she'd put in his mind. Of course, he had no idea what her 'Ryan' looked like so the 'Ryan' in his mind was Wolfe. It was very disturbing for him to say the least.

Then again, Wolfe did remind him a lot of her late husband. He was honestly beginning to wonder if they knew each other. He couldn't help but wonder what the odds were of finding another Obsessive Compulsive brunette named Ryan who had died within the same time frame as Wolfe had. It was very questionable to say the least.

Of course, he didn't have any definitive proof so he wouldn't go asking herself. If he was wrong he'd look like an ass and probably pour salt into already sore wounds.

"To much info kid," he said, using the nickname he'd created for her. In his mind, she was just a kid. He was thirty-two; she was twenty-six or seven. She was younger than anyone else there. Of course, she wasn't as young as Wolfe had been when he started but still she was quite young.

She wasn't even out of her twenties yet.

"Sorry, I tend to forget not everybody is as open about there sexuality as I am. Ryan use to always grow red in the face when I'd say stuff like that when he was around. But damn, he always did look good in red," she stated and once again his mind traveled back to Wolfe.

"Ugh, since I don't know what your husband looks like I keep imagining Ryan Wolfe in your husband's stead and its creeping me out," he gagged. He noticed she didn't respond but instead got very silent. He chanced a glance at her and noticed her biting the end of her pen.

Now he was almost positive he was right but he had to know. He needed to ask. Hell, he wouldn't have even made the connection if Natalia hadn't made a few connections in the beginning. Still, inquiring minds needed to know.

"Okay, I can't believe I'm about to ask this but I need to know. Please don't lie to me and don't be afraid to tell me if I'm crazy," he stated and she jumped as if forgetting he was there.

"Um, okay," she said hesitantly.

"Was your husband Ryan Wolfe, the CSI for this lab that recently was killed in the line of duty," he asked. He thought he remembered her from the funeral but he hadn't gotten a good look at the blonde from Ryan's funeral. Her eyes grew wide and panicked and he didn't need her to answer the question verbally. "Okay, that answers my question. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you and Wolfe."

She visibly relaxed, slightly. "How'd you figure it out?" she asked quietly, not looking at him.

"There were a lot of subtle clues. I thought I'd seen you at Ryan's funeral. His name was Ryan and he'd died within the same time frame as Wolfe. He'd died on the job though you refused to talk about what he did. Mentioning he was OCD didn't hurt much either.

"Does anyone else know?" she asked looking up from her hands to stare him straight in the eye.

"No, well, Nat suspects but she hasn't brought it up in a while so she may have blown it off as coincidence," he stated anxiously. His mind was reeling and he was feeling betrayed by his friend. He'd gotten married without telling him about it.

She seemed to read what he was thinking because she spoke. "He was on suspension for his gambling problems when we got married. We only had a grand total of four people with us – not including the minister mind you."

"Glad to know I wasn't the only one who didn't get the invite but my question is why hide it from us," he asked at first sarcastic but then becoming very serious. He needed to know.

"Ryan was embarrassed and inside he always had that outsider feeling to him. If you noticed he kept his personal life very private. He never talked about his love life very much," she stated and he had to admit he'd never heard much about Ryan having a girl. However, he did remember the date with Natalia and then there was the reporter.

"He went on a date with Natalia and went out with that Reporter for a while there," he stated wondering what that was about.

"When he first started at the Crime Lab we kept having problems. We'd break up then get back together for a while then break up again. Ericka was his rebound chick. Then he'd break it off and get with me. Natalia happened in our longest break-up. I have to admit, she's gorgeous. I can see why he liked her," Avery said glancing through the glass to where Natalia was standing and talking to Calleigh.

He turned back to look at Avery and instantly he looked at her hand which was lying on her slightly swollen stomach. That's when it hit him what the revelation of her and Wolfe being together truly meant.

"Wow," he murmured and she glanced at his gaze which was still at his stomach.

"Yeah, Ryan Wolfe is going to be a daddy," she said with a small chuckle. "Bet you never thought you'd see the day."

He shook his head. He couldn't believe it. Ryan Wolfe, the good though often misguided young CSI was going to be a father. A part of him could barely believe it.

"Ryan would have been a good father," he muttered and she nodded sadly.

"We'd been trying and then when it happens he's not around to enjoy it," she said with a sigh. Just then they door opened and they both turned to see Valera and Natalia coming in. He glanced at Avery who sighed.

"Eric, close the door," Avery stated. The girls both stopped laughing and looked at Avery. Instantly he became confused.

"Why?" Nat asked. He closed the door and Avery sighed.

"I hear you've asked a few questions about my husband," Avery stated. Her voice was calm though he could see in her eyes the stress this was having on her.

"No," she denied but she raised her hand to quiet Natalia. Then she pulled out a picture from her back pocket and handed it to Nat.

"That is me and my husband on our wedding day," she stated and he moved to see it since he hadn't changed.

"That's you and…" Natalia said in shock.

"Yes," Avery stated blankly. "Please, don't tell anyone."

"I won't, Eric?" Natalia asked, her face accusing.

"What, I already promised her I wouldn't before you came in here. I'm cool with it. I think it's cool there is going to be a baby Wolfe running around these corridors just like it's daddy," he stated before thinking. All three women smiled and looked at him.

"That's sweet, I think Uncle Eric is going to spoil the baby," Natalia said smiling.

He cringed. "Uncle Eric… Creepy," he murmured and all the women laughed.

The door opened once more. This time it was H. "Would you three mind. We do have a case to solve you know," he said in his normal tone.

"They know," Avery said as Nat handed the picture back.

"Ah…" H paused. "That doesn't mean you get to stop working. This crime won't solve itself."

"Bye," Eric said smiling at her before leaving. He heard the others repeat after him as they too left.

-x-

"So," Valera asked and Natalia looked at her.

"So, what?" Natalia asked, wondering what her friend was getting at.

"So, how are you taking finding out who her husband really is," Maxine asked as they left the lab. Their voices were hushed so as not to be overheard.

"Fine, a little weird thinking of Ryan being a husband and now a dad but oh well," she said with a shrug.

Max looked like she was about to say something when they heard a thud come from the lab they just left. They turned and Avery Jones was lying on the floor unconscious.

Both women sprinted back in to the room with Horatio and Eric right on their heels.

This was so not good.

[I know, I'm evil. So, what do you think so far? Thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing… TVGirl09]


	10. Baby Problems and Secrets

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Ten

Baby Problems and Secrets

Maxine Valera stood there as the paramedics rushed into the crime lab with a gurney which they placed her on gently.

"Any medical conditions," the paramedic asked as they hurried out.

"She's about four months pregnant or so. She's been having dizzy spells a lot recently and the other day she mentioned she had been cramping," Maxine stated as she hurried with them. Even Calleigh was standing there concerned which seemed more like the Calleigh they all knew.

"The father?" the paramedic asked. "Did anyone contact him?"

"He died shortly after conception," Maxine stated as they arrived at the ambulance.

"Any family we should contact?" he asked and she shook her head no.

"I'll call her in-laws. They'll want to know," Max said. They closed the doors and everyone in the crime lab sped off towards their cars. She got to her car and dialed Veronica Wolfe's number.

"Hello?" Veronica said.

"Hey, V. It's Maxi," Maxine stated trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"Oh, hey, what's up Maxi? Aren't you at work?" Veronica asked.

"V… Avis collapsed at work. Everyone is hurrying to the hospital right now. I thought you might want to know," Maxine stated as she looked at the road behind her.

"I'll be their immediately," Veronica Wolfe stated before the line went dead. Valera felt her face pale.

"Not good," she muttered to herself as she pulled out and sped towards the hospital. She knew this was bad. She arrived and hurried in to find everyone in the waiting room. She spotted Horatio in the corner talking in hushed voices on his cell.

She didn't think much about that. She sat next to Eric and Nat. Almost immediately Veronica came in panicked.

"Ms. Wolfe," Calleigh said standing up. "What brings you here?"

"How's my sister-in-law?" Veronica asked and Calleigh's eyes grew wide.

"Sister-in-law? One of your brothers is married?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah, Ryan now where the hell is she?" Veronica asked. Veronica had always been the harder sibling.

"Avery is in getting looked over by the doctor. We don't know more than you do V," Maxine stated as she walked towards Avery.

"Maxi, what the hell happened, I thought she was being kept off the field," Veronica asked as Horatio hung up the phone.

"She was," Horatio stated.

"Then how did this happen?" Veronica asked. "One day Avery is calling me telling me my brother died in the line of duty and now Maxi is telling me Avery has collapsed. This can't be happening. Not so soon after my brother's death."

Just then a voice spoke up. "Are you the family of Avery Jones-Wolfe?" They turned to see a doctor standing there.

"Yeah," Maxine immediately answered. "We are."

"It appears Mrs. Jones-Wolfe has Preeclampsia. She will need plenty of bed rest but I feel she will be just fine," The doctor said.

"What caused it," Horatio asked.

"High blood pressure and it doesn't appear she's been eating correctly," the doctor stated.

"She will be okay though, right?" Maxine asked before anyone had the chance to beat her to the punch.

"Yes, she'll be fine as long as she eats properly and gets plenty of bed rest she'll be fine," the doctor said once more.

"Oh, she's going to love that. Avis and Bed Rest equals someone being forced to stand guard over her twenty-four seven," Maxine muttered.

The others nodded. Then the doctor led them to her room. Max noticed he waited back and pulled his cell phone back out.

-x-

"Hey H," the familiar voice said into the phone. Horatio Caine watched the rest of his team from afar. "How is she?"

"She's fine. High blood pressure and she hasn't been eating right," Horatio stated into the phone. His voice was hushed, not hoping to be overheard.

"She'll be okay though, right," The young male voice said over the line. Horatio felt himself sigh.

"Yes, she's going to need to eat right and be placed on bed rest but otherwise she should be better soon," Horatio said into the phone.

"I should be there," the voice said.

"You are doing this to protect her," Horatio stated. "You're doing this to protect all of us."

"It's just… I never thought this would happen. I promised to never hurt her and here I am hurting her," the voice said. There was a voice yelling in the background and he heard the voice sigh. "I need to hang up now boss. Take care of her. Make sure she and the baby are both alright."

"I'll protect them both. No need for you to worry too much," Horatio stated.

"Bye H," the voice stated.

"Talk to you later Mr. Wolfe," Horatio said. The line went dead and he stuck his phone back in his pocket. With that he walked into Avery Jones room wondering how long he'd be able to hide Mr. Wolfe's undercover assignment from them.

_[So, what do you think? I know, its shorter but I figured that was the best way to end it. Well thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who reviewed… TVGirl09]_


	11. Bed Rest

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Eleven

Bed Rest

Avery had been in the hospital a week and now she was being forced to stay in bed. She couldn't stand the immobility. She'd always been active, even when she'd broken her leg in tenth grade. She'd still gone out, had fun, and even went out on dates with Ryan.

Now, this was killing her more than anything else. She wasn't even allowed to pick up her bedroom. She was use to picking up her bedroom which was unnaturally untidy. Ever since Ryan she'd grown accustomed to a neat house. She kept it picked up. Having it in disarray like it was might well kill her.

"God," she mumbled flopping backwards. If it wasn't for the fact the baby she was currently carrying was the last thing Ryan had given her she'd be saying screw it and be ignoring the costs. This time the cost of ignoring her doctors like she'd done in the past wouldn't be the cost of her baby.

"Never been called that before, Ree, but I kind of like it," a teasing voice said from the doorway and Avery jumped. She looked to see Maxine standing there with a smile.

"Wasn't talking to you, you little she-devil," Avery said with a mischievous grin on her face. Max smiled that wicked little grin of hers before walking in.

"You must be feeling better if you are teasing me," Max said with a smile. "That doesn't mean you are getting out of bed though."

"I know," Avery said with a sigh and it was Max's turn to jump.

"No fight, no begging and pleading to be let out of bed to do this or that really fast," Max asked. Avery shook her head. "Who are you and what have you done with the Avery I know?"

"I'm still here; I'm just more concerned for the baby's safety than my own at this point in time. Give me a week, I'll be begging to get out of this bed," Avery stated knowing herself well enough to know that will be what happens.

Maxine snorted then nodded. Then she crawled onto the end of the bed.

"So, how do you really feel, no holds barred," Maxine said and Avery scoffed.

"Been watching that wrestling stuff again," Avery asked and Maxine grew defensive.

"First off, it's UFC, not wrestling. Wrestling is fake while UFC is real fighting. Secondly, is it that obvious," Maxine asked and Avery laughed as she nodded her head at her eccentric friend.

Just then there was a knock at the door and they both turned to see Calleigh Duquesne and Natalia Boa Vista standing there.

"Can we come in?" Nat asked and Avery nodded.

"Get your skinny asses in here," Avery said in good humor and they both entered, Calleigh hesitantly but still.

Those two sat on the other side of the bed, all four women in it reminding Avery of when she'd been a teen and had friends over.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you," Calleigh said before anyone else could say a word. "I've been a royal bitch."

"It's okay," Avery states smiling. "There was no way for you to know. Ry use to talk about how you tried to be friendly to everyone but it always hurt you when it was betrayed or you lost someone. After all that loss your bound to become a little Jaded."

"He actually said that about me?" Calleigh asked with a gasp.

"So, I take it Ryan talked about us," Natalia asked after Calleigh got done.

"Yes, Ryan did say that to me once. Someone on your team had disappeared and had been worried about how it would impact the team if they'd been found dead but you specifically. And Yes, Ryan use to talk about you guys all of the time. You were his family," Avery said. "Well, actually, some of you I felt kind of jealous of for a while due to the fact you went out with him but I got over it quickly when we got back together."

Natalia blushed a deep shade of red. "Sorry about that… you two were broken up though, weren't you?" Natalia asked. "I'd hate to be the other woman."

"Yes, we'd broke up for about three months that time. The reason he never asked you out again afterwards was we got back together a week later. Sorry," Avery said with a smile.

"No big deal, figured he wouldn't ask again. Now I know it's you that had him distracted during the date," she stated.

"Okay, sorry but no more talking about dating Ryan, its too creepy for those of us who see him as a brother. Now, what else can we talk about?" Maxine asked. She had a deep look on her face.

"How about Calleigh and Eric being together," Avery said and Calleigh and Nat's jaws both dropped.

"Subtle Avis, very subtle," Max chuckled. "I really wish I had a camera for those faces."

"How, what, huh," Calleigh stammered.

"Ryan told me about your relationship before he died. Besides, Eric isn't as subtle as he thinks he is. Anyone can tell when he wants something and when he's getting it and when he's not," Avery said causing Calleigh to chuckle nervously.

"No one here will out you to AIB. We all like your friendship too much to do that," Maxine stated.

"Yeah, besides, no one here is that big of a bitch," Avery said.

"Besides, we could probably get Ree here to pay off some AIB guys to get rid of the problem if we had to," Maxine said.

"Huh?" Natalia asked confused. Most people weren't aware of her outstanding wealth.

"Let's just say I'm not hurting for money," Avery said noncommittally.

"How well endowed are you financially," Calleigh asked.

"Let's just say she could pay all of our paychecks for a year and still have enough left over to go by several new mansions, a bunch of brand spanking new cars and buy several new pieces of lab equipment without making a dent in her bank accounts," Maxine said.

"Exaggerating a bit aren't you," she asked.

"You are the heir to _the_ Jones Oil Refinery," Maxine said. "You are one of the wealthiest women in the country. Hell, you should live in the Hamptons or something with how much cash you truly have."

"Actually, I use to own a house there before I got rid of it when I settled here permanently," Avery said before she could stop herself. They all just looked at her and she felt herself blush a deep shade of red. "Okay, let's talk about something other than my bank account."

"No way," Natalia said with a laugh. "So, why are you working if you are 'loaded'?"

"I like helping people and I want to make a difference," Avery said. "Besides, I kind of like carrying the gun, too."

They all chuckled before nodding.

"The guns are really a key thing for me," Calleigh stated and Avery smiled. Of course Calleigh liked carrying a gun.

"Okay, can we change the subject," Avery asked again.

"To what," Natalia asked.

"Your perfect dream men. I'd already found mine and lost him but what about you three. Boyfriends excluded Calleigh," Avery states.

"I know Calleigh's perfect man," Maxine says. "Six foot something, muscular with a three foot gun in hand."

"Oh yeah," Calleigh says with a laugh and they all laugh.

-x-

The time flew by and it was eight o'clock at night before anyone realized it. Calleigh had to admit she'd judged Avery harshly in the beginning. Once she'd given her a fair chance she discovered Avery was a blunt personality that she actually liked.

Compared to Ryan's somewhat uptight demeanor Avery was carefree. After seeing her and listening she could understand them. They were two sides of the same coin.

Maxine moved through the kitchen like a pro, Natalia was in the bedroom chatting with Avery. Calleigh on the other hand was looking at a beautiful picture of Ryan in some really ugly blue Hawaiian top and khaki pants. Avery was in a beautiful little strapless dress with a flower in her hair.

Both looked so happy and in love.

"That's a picture of their wedding," Maxine said without looking up as she began to cook. "I'm hoping this will be edible since I'm not much of a cook."

Calleigh moved towards the kitchen thinking about the picture of their wedding.

She began moving about the kitchen. "They look happy. I still can't believe he hid that from us. I mean, why did he hide his relationship."

"He's a shy guy," Maxine Valera said turning to look her square in the eye. "His family growing up was shit. He was bullied, he was all but abused. His sister, niece, and uncle are the only family he associates with and has. His only other living relative is his brother who just happens to be in prison for beating his wife to death. His mom died of an overdose and his dad died after destroying his liver from all the alcohol he consumed since childhood. Ryan was never that outgoing. He did everything himself. He didn't talk much about his past. He once told me, after pumping him full of alcohol mind you, he'd always felt like an outsider, an outcast. Even when he came to work with us he still felt like the outsider, the guy everyone ignored unless he made a shit move. Think back, how often did you notice him unless he was making some sort of mistake?"

Calleigh opened her mouth to argue but couldn't find the words. Maxine was right. Hell, half of what Maxine had just said Calleigh hadn't even been aware of. She hadn't known anything about his past.

Instead she went about the kitchen making food they'd all like. Twenty minutes later she was done making dinner, they all ate and they all eventually went home, herself included, her mind still thinking about how little she knew about Ryan.

_[The end of this chapter. Sorry it took so long, my computer has been on the fritz. Well, I hope you liked it. Oh, I'm also having problems deciding so I'll make it up to you… what do you think she should have, boy or girl? Well, thanks to everyone who read so far and thanks to everyone who has reviewed.]_


	12. Ryan

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Twelve

Ryan

Ryan laid there in the dark on that hard mattress, the men surrounding him all mercenaries and other criminal types. Still, his mind was on his pregnant wife back home. He knew he should be by her side.

He should be there, helping her through the pregnancy. When he'd learned they wanted him to go under he'd adamantly refused. He and his wife were trying to conceive a baby. He couldn't be one of those fathers.

Now look at him, he'd given in when a threat had been made against his wife. That had sealed his fate. They could hurt him; he had no problem with that. They could even kill him. He wouldn't stop them if they tried. However, they wouldn't harm his friends or family and most certainly not her.

She'd been the only person who had ever really taken the time to understand him. She hadn't needed to. She'd been the beautiful, popular, rich girl in all those expensive clothing. He'd been the geeky, outcast, poor boy wearing all of his brothers' hand-me-downs. She'd been an only child while he'd had an older brother and sister.

Her parents had always been overseas so she'd been raised by nannies at first then she was left alone. He'd been raised by a drug addicted mother who overdosed when he was twelve and an alcoholic father who use to beat the hell out of him and his siblings.

He'd been in love with her from the first time he'd seen her when they were both just freshmen in high school. He'd known then he would marry her one day and my god he'd done it.

In his life he'd made quite a few mistakes. He'd gambled, he'd had to hide evidence, he'd lied, he stole, he cheated his friends though he'd never cheated on her. Still, she and their baby was the one thing he'd done right.

The truth was, if he died now he wouldn't care, as long as they were okay. He knew that she and their child were protected by Horatio who would never let anything happen to them. He was so proud when he'd heard she had joined the Crime lab though he'd been disturbed to find Horatio knew the truth about them.

Now the whole lab knew the truth. If he was there he'd be receiving quite a few lectures.

Still, he wasn't.

Ryan sighed glancing at his left hand ring finger, feeling the loss that ring. He use to either keep it on his finger or in his left pocket. He use to constantly place his left hand in his pocket to make sure it was still there. It'd become habit. Now it was never there. It couldn't be. He had to hide it to keep her safe.

With that he sighed and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was an early morning wake-up call and another day of pretending to be a bad ass. He need sleep.

_[I decided Ryan had been strangely silent through this whole thing. He needed a small chapter all his own. So, here it is. I hope you guys liked it and if not, well, go ahead and tell me so. Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who reviewed.]_


	13. Maxine's Suspicions

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Thirteen

Maxine's Suspicions

"So, what do you think?" Maxine asked bouncing into her best friend's room with paint chips in her hand. "I'm going for this color but maybe that one." That's when she pointed at a bright purple color to begin with then a pale yellow next time.

"Yellow is a very unrestful color and that purple is way to bold. I would never have that in my child's room," Avery said before grabbing the huge envelope full of paint chips from Maxine's hand.

Maxine sat down on the bed and began to look through them with her. After ruling out all Pink she found she liked the tans, creams, dark earthy greens and the powder blues. Blue, depending on the shade and all, could be used as a girls color too.

"No way, Ryan would be arguing with that color," Avery told Max as she looked at Maxine's latest color choice. It was bright neon green. Yeah, Avery liked green but even that was way too out there for her tastes.

"Come on, you won't even think about it?" Maxine asked her and Avery shook her head.

"I paint my baby's room that color I'm begging it to turn into a criminal," she laughed and Maxine chuckled too.

"No, that's if you paint it black, this is eccentric," Maxine chuckled while speaking in the most annoying tone imaginable. Avery just found herself rolling her eyes.

"Same difference," Avery stated and Maxine scowled at her.

"I'll have you know, I painted my room this color when I was fifteen," Maxine stated and Avery laughed.

"Point proven," Avery said and Maxine shook her head. Avery noticed Maxine hadn't commented back and that was unlike her best friend. "Okay, what's up with you?"

"Nothing, just a guy I can't get my mind off of," Maxine mumbled.

Avery didn't question it, this was Maxine after all. When _wasn't_ Maxine thinking about some guy or another?

Maxine sat there in the lab as she processed the DNA from her latest crime scene. However, he mind wasn't on work. She wasn't thinking about a guy either like she'd told her Avis.

No, she was thinking about Ryan. Her curiosity had always been a major flaw of hers. Avery always lectured her about it. Now it had her worried and confused. Ree had told her not to look into Ryan's death, that they didn't need the picture of how he died burned forever in their brains.

She couldn't help it though. She'd gotten into his case file. What she found didn't really fit together. The evidence was minimal. There were no pictures from the coroner's office, no pictures of Ryan's dead body at all. All of the pictures showed random evidence but the crime scene evidence was spotty at best.

Something about it seemed off. It was way to… convenient. All of the evidence said the same thing, nothing was out of place. With what little evidence there was something should stand out but nothing did.

"Hey," a voice called and she jumped, too far into her own mind to notice anyone else.

"Hey," she responded shakily turning to see Calleigh standing in the doorway.

"Okay, what's up, you've got that look," Calleigh stated.

"What look?" She asked.

"The one like you are hiding something. You had it when Avery started here and when I'd mention the baby's daddy – Ryan," Calleigh stated bluntly. "What is it this time?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned about. Just some personal guy problems," Maxine said trying not to lie. Calleigh was still slightly upset about not being told about Ryan from the beginning. She'd considered herself close to Ryan and for him to have omitted a big part of his life like that had hurt.

Everyone saw it but most people tried to ignore it.

"Okay," Calleigh responded. "Well, I came to give you this." With that she handed her a large box of evidence. "We need you to go through all of this."

Maxine nodded, sometimes this job really sucked. Inside was another broken bottle she'd have to piece together if she hoped to find a print. She sighed before going back to work.

Her suspicions would have to wait till later.


	14. Dangerous Threats

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

--

Chapter Fourteen

Dangerous Threats

--

**He watched the young blonde as she slept. She was beautiful and he could see why the young cop had fallen for her. After everything he'd learned about the young man he knew that if he wanted him out of hiding it was going to take using her. **

**She was the man's weakness. The fact she was pregnant only added to the joy he'd get when he gutted her open in front of that little husband of hers.**

**It would kill him. He'd be begging for death to come as he held her dead pregnant body in his arms. **

**That visualization caused a smile to appear on his scarred up face. It was just too precious. **

**When the time came, no one would be able to protect her. She would die painfully and slowly. Her life blood would cover his hands and he'd personally enjoy every last ounce of pain he'd ring from her fragile little body. After causing her pain only then would he let her die. **

**Then he'd work on her husband. He'd kill him just as slowly as he would her. **

**The man heard the ruffling of sheets and looked to see her rolling over in her bed. Her strawberry blonde hair framed her face and he licked his lips. He pushed the thoughts of those locks drenched in blood from his mind otherwise he'd never be able to control himself. **

**He needed perfect timing. Instead he slid out of his hiding place and moved to his vehicle. He sped away. He would get her. She would die and it would be painful. **

**Of course, he'd get his play in before he let her go of course. She and that baby of hers. It would be so sweet.**

**--**

_[Sorry it's taking me so long to update. I've got a new job plus my muse is being a pain. I will update soon. Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading. TVGirl09]_


	15. Eight Months and Missing

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Fifteen

Eight months and Missing

**We are jumping forward a few months**

_Avery sat there in her bed trying to get to sleep when she heard a noise. Her body was large and round and it was hard to get in and out of bed. Still, she found herself getting to her feet. _

_She moved towards the hallway. It was most likely just one of her coworkers stopping by because they forgot something. As she got to the front room she froze as there was a big shadowy figure standing there and it was most definitely _not_ one of her friends. _

_In an instant she turned and ran as fast as she could through the house towards her bed room. She didn't move fast enough though and she felt someone push her. She began to fall forward but she instinctively spun onto her back, afraid of hurting her unborn child. _

"_Don't make a sound and come with me or your baby dies," a male voice growled in her ear as he leaned over and she nodded, not about to test this man's resolve. He dragged her to her feet then shoved her in front of him. She walked out of her house, barefoot and in her nightgown. _

_The man shoved her into the passenger seat of the truck and then crawled in himself. He drove away, a gun pointed at her stomach with one hand. _

-x-

Horatio stepped out of his hummer and looked up at that Miami sun through his shades. The sun was extremely bright today and it would be the perfect day for him to take the young lady out. She had been approved to leave the house for an hour or two each day and he figured she'd like to go out and get something to eat.

Being cooped up like that couldn't be good on her. As he walked up the front he noticed a couple plants looked disturbed but he chose to ignore it. He knocked on the door and it swung open slightly. He grabbed his gun from its holster and pulled it out.

Something was up and he knew it. He walked through that house and noticed nothing was out of place. The house was spotless and he mentally smirked knowing Ryan would approve. He cleared the Living room kitchen combo. Then he cleared the bathroom, the nursery which had light brown carpeting and moss green walls and ceiling. He then found her bedroom was empty.

However, the bed wasn't made. She always made the bed. He called in his team reporting her missing – suspected kidnapping.

The fact she was a pregnant officer increased the seriousness of the case. His team was their almost immediately. They began combing the place for evidence while he made his way to a quiet area, needing to make a phone call.

"Hey H, what's up?" Mr. Wolfe asked over the phone.

"Your wife is missing," Horatio said, not noticing Ms. Valera walking up behind him. "I suspect she's been kidnapped. I think you need to leave and come back here."

"What," Mr. Wolfe asked, his voice sounding dry. "H, this can't be real. She's pregnant; you said you'd keep an eye on her."

"Mr. Wolfe, I understand. I need you to return back here, your wife is going to need you once we find her. I'll deal with any repercussions from this; just get back here, now," Horatio told the young man.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Mr. Wolfe stated and the line went dead. Horatio sighed and put his phone in his pocket before turning around. When he did he found Ms. Valera standing there with her hands on her hips and her foot tapping against the grass.

"He's alive," she said. It wasn't a question but a statement and he knew it. She knew the truth and from her expression she was furious. "You lied, Ryan's alive and you kept him from his pregnant wife – even when she had complications with the pregnancy?"

"He's undercover, he had to…" Horatio began to explain himself but was cut off by a hand reaching out and slapping him across the face. He looked at Maxine Valera shocked. She just slapped him!

"Don't you dare make excuses right now," she stated as Eric and Calleigh walked up. She turned around and walked away from him, anger radiating off of her in waves. He watched, obviously aware that all the eyes of his team were on him.

As Eric got close he spoke up, "Horatio, what's going on? What was _that_ about?"

"She's pissed, and it's understandable, I've been lying to all of you for the past eight months," Horatio said and Calleigh's jaw dropped. Inside he hoped she hadn't figured it out too.

"Ryan's alive, isn't he, that's why she reacted so violently," Calleigh asked and he nodded. Eric was instantly furious.

"What the hell?" Eric demanded. "How could you do this to us? How could you do this to Avery? She was his wife, pregnant with his child. You let everyone believe he was dead. You really are a bastard at times, you know that right?"

That stung.

"I understand where you are coming from and for now I won't try and defend my actions. Just know, he's on his way back," Horatio stated and Calleigh closed her eyes irritated. Then she walked away shaking her head. Eric went back to the crime scene, searching for evidence.


	16. The Infamous Ryan Wolfe

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Sixteen

The Infamous Ryan Wolfe

Avery sat there in that room, her wrists tied to that chair, her ankles were tied together. The man was swearing into a phone in another language she didn't understand. His tone spoke in volumes though. He was pissed off.

However, the man had said one thing she'd understood. Ryan Wolfe. What did these men want with her dead husband? Didn't they know he was gone?

She flinched as she felt someone walk past her. She hoped Horatio and the team would hurry up.

-x-

Ryan Wolfe walked through the crime lab. He was fuming. He was furious. He'd been undercover with mobsters, criminals, horrible evil men he'd rather shy away from in circumstances that made his OCD scream but he'd been forced to hold it at bay. He'd believed she'd be safe – they'd all be safe.

Horatio had promised to protect her and the baby and, of course, he'd been let down once more. He'd been beaten horribly, lost his job for that man, been treated horribly and rarely complained. This was one thing he thought Horatio would protect without question.

His thoughts were angry as he stormed through there, ignoring all of the dropped jaws, wide eyes, and staring gazes. Some people did double takes and all looked like they'd just seen a ghost.

Of course they had – he was supposedly dead.

Without thinking he opened Horatio Caine's office door and slammed it behind him. The walls shook from the force.

"Wolfe," Horatio stated standing up.

"How the hell did you let this happen, Horatio?" Ryan demanded angrily. His voice held every ounce of anger he was feeling and he didn't care. He knew if anything happened to Avery or the baby he'd loose it. He wouldn't be able to go on – his life would be over.

"We'll get her back, Ryan," Horatio stated and Ryan jumped. Horatio never called him Ryan. He was Wolfe or Mister Wolfe. That shock was enough to crush his anger into pure heartbreak. He sat down in one of the chairs located in front of Horatio's desk.

"We might not," Ryan whispered. "The odds of her being found alive are growing slimmer every moment she's gone. If I lose her, I don't think I'll be able to go on."

He looked up to see Horatio staring at him sympathetically.

"You'll get through this," Horatio stated. "Trust someone who has been in love and lost her."

"She's not just my love, she's my best friend. I've known her since I was fourteen. I don't trust anyone as much as I trust her. I don't even trust _you_ like I trust her. I know she would never abandon me or give up on me… I know for a fact all of you would. Don't think you know what this feels like Horatio… at least you and your wife weren't expecting a baby that could very well die," Ryan said and he saw emotions flash across Horatio's face he couldn't imagine ever seeing – especially not at the same time.

Guilt, Heart-Break, Pain, Anger, Grief, Understanding.

"Ryan… I don't understand that part but I do know what its like to lose a close friend and a lover," Horatio stated. "If you don't count Marisol my friend then you are forgetting Speedle. He was my friend and I watched him die, unable to stop it. I promise you, we will find Avery and the baby. You have my word. The whole force is out searching everywhere for her."

Ryan couldn't help but look up surprised.

"When someone leaked word around that a very pregnant police officer had been kidnapped everyone geared up and began the search," Horatio said and Ryan couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

Tears were in his eyes but he wiped them away. Ryan looked back up at Horatio and searched his face. That was the first time he noticed the bags under his eyes and the bruise across his cheek.

"H, what the hell happened to your face," Ryan asked and Horatio touched it while he smirked.

"Valera." Ryan laughed. There didn't need to be a deeper explanation than that. Valera would suffice. "Speaking of…"

Just then the door came crashing open and Ryan stood up. He turned to see one of his best friends standing there. He could tell from her eyes she was torn between being glad to see him and being pissed off at him. Being glad must have won out because she rushed over and pulled him into a really tight hug.

When she let go her first reaction was to slap his arm three times.

"What was that for," he asked even though he already knew.

"For letting Avery think you were dead. Do you know how long she grieved? It took months of prodding to get her to go to the club with me afterwards. That's not the Avery either of us knew how to deal with," Maxine stated and he felt himself cringe. His Avery was a party animal. She was never a homebody like Maxine was describing. This hurt him more than anything she could have said. She must have seen. She'd always been good at reading him. "Ryan, it's okay. She was getting back to normal before pregnancy complications arose." Guilty again. Damn, she was good at saying things meant to cheer him up but only made him feel worse. "She was getting along fine."

He smiled a hollow smile. Anyone else would have bought it but not her. However, she spoke some more but his attention was drawn to four people standing out in the hall. One he saw as a motherly figure he'd always lacked. The other three were people he knew from work.

There had been a point in the past he could have called them his friends but those bridges were burned a long time ago. He was tired of their distrust. Eric obviously hated his guts – that was the only way of explaining his behavior toward him. Calleigh had turned into a royal bitch when she and Eric began dating and she couldn't even see it. Natalia had always been a weird one. She acted like she liked him one moment and the next she was treating him like he didn't mean anything.

They weren't his favorite people on the planet. He hadn't really thought of them since he'd left there except to worry about how they were treating Avery.

He didn't notice Horatio wave them in.

"Oh, Baby," Alexx whispered as she enveloped him in a very famous Alexx hug. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Alexx," he stated. She stepped back and he had to laugh. "You are mothering me again."

"I know, somebody has too since that mother of yours never really did a very good job of doing it herself," Alexx stated bluntly and he noticed the confused faces of everyone except Maxine. She was the only one who knew his past.

"Alexx, I'm twenty-seven now. I don't need a mother… I need to find my wife and child before something serious happens to them," Ryan stated bluntly.

The woman stepped back and arms instantly pulled him into a hug. He saw blonde hair and he tensed up. He was more than just a little uncomfortable at that moment.

"I can't believe you faked your death and didn't tell us," she stated as she stepped back.

"What makes you so special?" he asked and everyone jumped. They were use to the obedient kicking post Ryan but he'd spent eight months with hardened criminals playing the part of a serial murderer/assassin, they had no idea of how much he'd changed. "I didn't even tell my wife I was alive so why should you be any different Ms. Duquesne?"

"Wow Ryan, you finally grew some balls," Maxine muttered with a chuckle as she crossed her arms.

"You spend eight months where I did and you'd grow a pair too, Maxi," he stated and she chuckled.

"Good old Ryan," she muttered. "Don't kill them too badly." Then she walked out leaving him with the others. He chuckled.

"Ryan, I," Calleigh began but he cut her off.

"You what? You didn't mean it that way? You didn't think? You just meant that you missed me? Yeah right, nobody here but Alexx, Maxine and Avery probably missed me. You guys, the rest of the team, you couldn't have given a shit about me," he stated and they all jumped. "What, did you think I was completely blind or stupid. I saw how you treated everyone else then how you treated me. You know, I got more respect from the criminals I was amongst then I ever got here. Do you realize how wrong that is?"

It was several moments before anyone spoke. That whole time Alexx stood there shaking her head but she too remained silent.

"That's why none of us knew the truth, isn't it?" Delko asked. "That's why you hid your wife from us." This time it wasn't a question but a blunt comment.

"Yeah," Ryan said. After several more awkward moments everyone left and he went to work.

He needed to find his wife before something bad happened to her that he'd never forgive himself for.

_[I'm really sorry about the delay between updates. My muse, up until this point, has been avoiding me but I've been on a writing spree lately. I'll probably update soon but I can't promise anything. I hope you enjoyed this latest update and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far… TVGirl]_


	17. The Mind of a Killer

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

--

Chapter Seventeen

The Mind of A Killer

--

**The man sat there, smiling as he watched the little pregnant woman try to pick up on her surroundings. He could see her bleeding forehead and the sight of blood made him feel very… energetic, hard. **

**Her arms were pinned behind her back, her knees pulled beneath her. Her nightgown was very thin, satin looking. In all honesty, it probably was satin. She was, after all, quite rich. If he wasn't set in killing her he could use her as ransom and get paid handsomely for his troubles.**

**Still, he wanted to kill her. **

**He licked his lips as he saw her jump at a noise. She was making this way too tempting. His hand flicked the knife back and forth. **

**The image of blood coating that little white night gown, soaking her blonde hair and staining her pale skin filled his mind. It made him itch to get this over with. He wanted to watch her blood flow freely from her. He wanted to hear her screams as he cut the baby from her body and left her open to the elements. **

"**You know… when this is all over, you will beg for death," he stated in a hushed tone as he knelt beside her and caressed her cheek.**

**Avery Jones flinched and jerked away from the touch. He smiled as he saw fear flicker across her face. The blindfold enticed him as did the gag he had tied around her mouth. She whimpered slightly and he felt himself grow hard.**

**No qualms about it – he was a sadistic sociopath who got off on the pain and suffering of other living beings. That was why he was so good at his job. Rape, torture, murder, none of it bothered him. Human life held no meaning for him. **

**The idea of killing anyone or anything was very powerful and seductive in his mind. To hear screaming, to see the pain in their eyes, to feel them squirm away from him in pain and terror, to have their blood coat his hands was a powerful drug for him. It was a high, one he wanted to feel at that moment. **

**It was a high he had to wait for, patiently. He had to wait for her lover to come. That man had pissed off some very powerful people who wanted him to suffer and die. **

**She was just a perk.**

"**Don't worry my dear," he said in a fake pleasant tone. "You won't die, yet. I need your little husband here to witness it first." He felt her jump. That's when he realized the truth. "I take it you didn't know that dear mister Ryan Wolfe is still very much alive and just walked out on you while you were pregnant." **

**Her breathing grew sporadic and he smiled. He noticed her jaw tense and she leaned back slightly. He knew the drugs he'd injected her with were taking hold. She was in pain and he just loved it. **


	18. Sacrifice

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Eighteen

Sacrifice

Ryan paced the floor of the crime lab wishing they would find something, anything. He couldn't stand there and do nothing. Before he'd been the type who could stand back and let other people take charge. He didn't mind being run over and manhandled by the higher ups.

That had changed. It was true, prison – especially a prison full of hardened criminals – changes people. He couldn't say where he'd been, exactly, but to say the least he'd met more serial killers and sociopaths in these past eight months than he'd ever wanted.

He'd had to be strong. He'd had to be an asshole. He'd had to be the one who took charge or else they'd be controlling him. Yeah, he wasn't the same person he'd been. His mind was a lot darker than it had been.

Growing up he'd been the youngest of three children. His eldest sibling, William – his brother – had ended up going to prison. When his girlfriend told him she was pregnant he'd gotten angry. He murdered her family which consisted of her parents, three siblings, and her grandparents. Then he'd raped her and murdered her too.

His sister had done her best in making sure he was alright even when she got pregnant when she was eighteen. He'd been fourteen when his little niece was born.

Ron, his uncle, raised him from the age of thirteen up. He never really got to know his mother who died of a drug overdose when he was five. After that his father turned into a drunk and an angry drunk at that. He'd get mean when he got drunk and his favorite target was Ryan. Not that Ryan complained. If he was being hit it meant his brother and sister weren't.

One night, when he was thirteen, his Dad had way too much to drink and became really mean. He beat Ryan to a bloody pulp, breaking about a third of the bones in his little body. Then he went into the bathroom where the man died of Alcohol Toxemia. His sister was away for a long weekend and came home a day and a half later. She found Ryan on the floor broken and near dead while her father was rotting in the bathroom on the floor.

After that Ryan changed. He'd shown some semblance of being normal back then. He'd always been slightly OCD but after this incident his OCD skyrocketed. It became overbearing for him. It was as if he was trying to make up for what had happened by controlling every aspect of his life.

If it wasn't for Avery he would have died. He'd met her shortly after he got out of the hospital and back into the real world. The only people in his life who knew this were his family – which, in his mind, included Alexx and his best friend, Maxine. No one else in on _his_ team knew.

Nobody ever gave a crap. Well, it was his turn. Whatever happened in their lives he didn't care. He couldn't care. Caring had taken his family away from him. He'd cared what happened to Calleigh, Eric, Natalia, Maxine, and Horatio. Because of this he more or less sacrificed his wife and their child for the job.

Once they got them back he'd say screw you. Maxine, she'd be one he'd cared for because she'd always been there for him. She'd always been a friend. Alexx too was his friend but everyone else. They could go to hell. If they ever got caught in another situation like this let Eric go undercover. Horatio had screwed him over time and time again.

Ryan closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. His wife was missing. His pregnant wife was missing and god only knows what she was going through.

As he sat there his phone began to ring. He answered it hoping for good news.

"Wolfe," he stated and he heard an ominous chuckle that sent shivers down his spine. All those anger instincts he'd had to train for his undercover assignment recognized its cue to jump to the surface. "Who the hell is this?" His voice growled angrily.

"I'm the person who has your beautiful wife here," the voice said in a coy, unafraid tone.

"What the hell do you want?" Ryan demanded standing up. He saw Maxine down the hall and flashed her a look she could comprehend. Nobody else noticed but she did and she hurried towards the room.

"I want you to come and find us. Your wife, such soft skin, such a flawless complexion. It would be a pity for her beautiful face to be permanently marred because you were too slow," the man stated. Maxine opened the door and Ryan motioned for her to stay silent.

"Where do you want me to go," Ryan asked, his voice cold and uncompromising.

The man gave him the address and Ryan said he'd be there. Then he hung up.

"What's going on," Maxine asked as they began down the hall.

"I'm suppose to go to this address," he stated as he handed her the paper he'd written it down on as they continued towards his vehicle. "He told me to come alone. I want you to come with and get Avery out of there. Don't tell anyone else. When we arrive at that address I want you to follow me in but stay out of sight as best you can. I'll distract him and give you time to get her out of there. The keys will be under the drivers seat. Get her out and drive her to the hospital."

"What about you," she asked as they arrived at the vehicle. "How will you get away?"

He gave her a look that spoke more levels than anything he could ever say and he saw the realization of what he was planning.

"You are planning on going down with this bastard aren't you?" she asked and he nodded.

"He attacked my wife and child. I know I won't be able to stop him with you and her there. You are my best friend; she's the love of my life and is carrying our child. I need you guys safe. I will stop him but I am willing to sacrifice myself. This time will be of my choosing, not because Horatio or someone higher up decided for me," he states. He looks at her across the hood and she looks down.

"Don't get yourself killed. She can't get you back and lose you again. It will kill her. I know it would and not even your child will be able to pull her back this time," she states.

He didn't respond as they got in the vehicle and drove down the road in absolute silence. Eventually they arrived and she went in the side door while he went in the front.


	19. Escape and Injury

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Nineteen

Escape and Injury

Valera watched as Ryan came in. She was hidden by a bunch of boxes yet could see everything through a small slit. However, everything was so dark she knew she wouldn't be seen.

He looked so much different than the Ryan she remembered. Ryan had been so sweet and unsure. He'd always been comfortable with the evidence but never with people. With people he was clumsy, unsure of himself.

This Ryan was nothing like the old him. He was confident, arrogant even. He had this air about him that let you know he was dangerous. Something had changed him and she honestly didn't want to know. It would probably scar her to know what could take Ryan and turn him into Ryan 2.0.

"I'm here, now let her go," Ryan demanded, his gun at his hip but she had seen him slide one into his large coat pocket.

"Now," the criminal stated smugly, "Why would I do that?"

"I'm going to give you to the count of three to let my wife go. If you don't I will fill you with so many bullets they won't be able to identify you," Ryan stated and the man grinned.

"Just like your older brother I see… William will be so proud to hear of his brother taking another person's life so openly. You seen him around lately?" the man asked sarcastically and she flinched.

She knew who William was. He was doing major time. He was a sick bastard and she pitied Ryan for having someone like that in his family.

"I'm looking at him," Ryan stated and she held back a gasp.

The man smiled widely and licked his lips before speaking. "When I heard that it was you I was to go after I was very shocked. Dear baby brother had pissed someone royal off but then, you've always been that way haven't you. At first I thought they hired me to torture you but then they told me to do my usual I was shocked, especially when I learned you had a pregnant wife." William took a step towards Avery and Ryan Cocked his gun.

"You take one more step and I will blow your brains out. Unlike you, I do care for my family," Ryan stated.

"And what am I, Chopped Liver?" William snapped, obviously irritated.

"William, when you killed your five month pregnant girlfriend and her family you stopped being mine. I mean, she was carrying your baby and you killed it, how could you?" Ryan asked, obviously confused.

"Easy," he stated. "Cutting there throats, it was like cutting into butter. It was so simple and so, satisfying. Once you feel that high of taking a person's life you can never forget it. You always want to feel it again. It's the only pleasure you can get."

"But why? It was your child," Ryan stated. Maxine realized William and Ryan were getting physically closer as they spoke giving room between William and Avery.

Avery wasn't moving but had her blind face turned towards Ryan's voice. Maxine slid out of her heels which were too noisy and then hurried, unseen, to Avery.

She didn't touch Avery but whispered. "Avery, its Max, I'm going to get you out of here. I need you to trust me."

"You were ten Ryan, what do you remember. I've never wanted kids. They are too much hassle and nothing good ever comes from them. I didn't want to but I told her I wouldn't have that little bastard coming into the world, screwing up my life," William said. Maxine cut the binds on Avery's hands and feet.

Avery looked like she was about to yell out to Ryan but Maxine covered her mouth. Then she motioned for Avery to come with her. They hurried to the door.

"So, when she refused to get an abortion and told me she wouldn't be putting him up for adoption I did what I had to," William said, as if it was rational.

"Wait, your telling me you killed your unborn child, your girlfriend because you were afraid of being a father," Ryan asked in shock. Maxine got Avery outside and got her into the car.

"Stay here," Maxine told Avery. "Lock the car and don't open it unless Ryan or I come out. My Cell Phone is in my purse – call Horatio, the address is on the paper in the middle column. Get back up." Maxine went to run back inside, her feet still bare, when Avery grabbed her arm.

"Don't let him die again," Avery said. "His brother wants him dead, badly. He will kill him, just, don't let him kill him. I can't lose him again."

"I won't," Maxine began when Avery groaned ever so slightly and covered her stomach with her hands. She rubbed it gently. "What's wrong Avis?"

"Nothing, just a cramp," Avery said and Maxine's eyes grew wide.

"How often do they come," Maxine asked and Avery looked at her.

"Every five minutes or so, I think," Avery muttered. Maxine glanced back at the building then at Avery.

"Avery, how long have you been having cramps," Maxine asked.

"Since I was kidnapped," Avery stated and Maxine decided what to do.

"Avery call Horatio like I told you," Maxine stated as she closed the door and ran to the driver's side door.

"What are you doing?" Avery screamed.

"Taking you to the hospital, like Ryan ordered me too. Honey, you're in labor," Maxine said and Avery paled.

"What?" Avery asked.

"Honey, Cramps? Let me guess, they've been growing closer together too," Maxine stated as she took the keys from beneath the seat and put them in the ignition.

"Yeah," Avery stammered.

"Honey, if we don't get you to the hospital you could give birth right here in this vehicle which could be very, very dangerous. Even more so since you aren't even suppose to give birth naturally due to the dangers it holds for you," Maxine states and Avery bites her lips but grabs Maxine's cell.

She calls and gives them directions as they head to the hospital with sirens going.

Maxine hurries through the streets, not use to driving like this with sirens on. She's a lab tech, not a field agent. Still, she does this because Ryan told her too plus her best friend is in labor next to her. Every time Avery groans from the pain Maxine picks up speed.

They arrive at the hospital and she is wheeled into the emergency room while Maxine is left to wait.

-x-

Ryan watches as Avery exits the room. After a few minutes he hears a car engine start and pull away. He releases a breath but William obviously hears it to as he turns around to look at Avery who is no longer there.

"Bastard," William says, pulling a gun out. Ryan raises his but William is faster on the draw and Ryan gets shot in the thigh and in the chest. All he can think is 'damn it, I should have worn a vest.'

He feels the blood run down his chest but he forces himself to remain standing. He raises his gun and fires five rounds. Each hits his brother and his brother falls to the ground.

His eyes, eyes that are an identical shade of brown as Ryan's own, are open and looking out just as empty as they were in life and in death. Ryan couldn't believe it, he'd killed his own brother.

However, he didn't have long to think about it because he fell to his knees. His mind couldn't help but find it ironic. He faked his death to protect everyone and as soon as he comes back he dies for real.

What kind of horrible twist in this story called life was that? His eyes fluttered closed and he laid in silence till he heard the sirens in the distance. That's when everything died down. All his senses crept away.


	20. Haunting

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Twenty

Haunting

Horatio arrived at the crime scene with Calleigh and Eric at his back. Natalia and Tripp went in the side door. They entered the room and were stunned to find two bodies on the ground. Horatio moved to Ryan's side while Tripp checked the other guy's pulse.

"He's dead," Tripp called and Horatio hesitantly felt for Ryan's pulse. It was there, barely.

"He's still alive," Horatio called. "How long till an ambulance gets here?"

"We called them when we left so about ten minutes maybe fifteen," Calleigh said and Horatio swore. Ryan didn't have fifteen minutes. He probably didn't have five to spare. More than that, he'd promised Ryan he'd be home in time to see hold his baby. He wouldn't dare break that promise.

"Eric, help me get him to the hummer," Horatio stated.

"What?" Eric asked.

"He won't last fifteen minutes. We need to get him to the hospital now," Horatio stated and Eric nodded. Then they both lifted Ryan's body and carried it out.

Horatio was surprised to find how heavy he really was. However, it was obviously not fat but most likely muscle causing him to weigh so much. They got him in the vehicle and Natalia crawled in the back seat.

"I'm going to apply pressure on the wounds," Natalia said. "I don't he'll bleed to death on your back seat now move."

"Yes ma'am," Horatio says hurrying to the Drivers seat. He pulls out and speeds down the road. Natalia cuts his shirt off so that she can get a better look at his injuries.

"Avery," Ryan mutters, his voice barely a whisper.

"H, hurry," Natalia yells forward towards him.

Horatio picks up speed, not about to let one of his men die. He lost one man on his watch – Ryan's predecessor – he refuses to make the same mistake twice.

-x-

Maxine paces the hospital waiting room, hoping to see Ryan walk in or he doctor with news. Instead she sees Natalia and Horatio come in with Ryan on a gurney. Both are covered in blood.

"Horatio," she calls and he hurries over.

"Ryan was shot," Horatio states. "We got him here in the hummer. What about Avery, is she okay?"

"She's in labor. They had to wheel her up immediately – not even time to do an emergency C-Section because she was already ten centimeters dilated. I almost went back inside for Ryan, leaving her in the vehicle. Who knows what that could have done for her," Maxine stated, feeling terrified. "What if both Avery and Ryan don't make it out of this? That baby will be an orphan before it's even born. I haven't even called Veronica yet to let her know her baby brothers alive or that Avis is in the hospital. If they both die how will I tell her that Ryan died after coming back and that she also lost her sister-in-law on the same day?"

"Valera, breathe," Horatio ordered. She inhaled then exhaled but it didn't help. Thoughts of Avery and Ryan's baby alone in the world, never getting to know its parents who gave there lives so that it could live haunted her.


	21. Epilogue

Taking Someone's Place

TVGirl09

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Ryan woke up groggily. His mind was slowly came back to life he heard humming and a baby coo. His eyes crept open and he turned his face towards the noise. The first thing he saw made him smile.

Avery was in a bed across from his, holding a new born baby in her arms.

"Morning sleepy head," Avery said as she looked over at him. Then she spoke in a very baby tone, "Look daddy's awake."

He smiled at her using the word daddy. It felt good. There was a part of him that felt bad about the mess he'd left.

"I'm sorry," he stated and she looked up.

"I know… I understand. You were doing what you had to. I don't blame you Ryan. I wish I could have known but I understand it," she stated, understanding immediately. "Just as long as you promise to be there for this little one growing up I'll forget the past. Can you do that?"

"I promise," he states. "Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

The corners of Avery's lips turned upwards into a smile. He stifled a yawn and she looked down. "You need to sleep, Ryan. You've been unconscious for three days. Your body needs to rest," she stated.

"Please, I need to know," he stated, trying to stay awake.

"A girl. We have a daughter," Avery told him and he smiled.

"A daughter," he whispered exhaustion taking hold. "I love you, you know that right."

"I love you too," Avery whispered. "See you when you awaken." He just nodded as he closed his eyes.

Five months later…

Avery stood in the lab, waiting for the results of the latest blood test she'd done on the blood from the crime scene. She was so determined she didn't know anyone else was in the room till she felt a hand run itself down her arm as they brushed past her.

She looked up to see Ryan staring across the table from her.

The duo had figured out a way to get around the fraternization policy so they could still work together. Since he'd been undercover they couldn't fire him and she had pull with the higher ups.

She wasn't proud to say it but she kind of bought her way onto the team by 'donating' a large lump of money to the police force. It was worth it though to see her husband every day.

Only catch was he had to do field work while she worked solely in the lab. That was okay with her though. Plus, they couldn't let their love life spill into their professional lives. This meant they couldn't kiss or do anything else that was considered PDA.

"Hey Ryan," she said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Tonight, dinner at the pier, Maxine volunteered to babysit Lexie for us," Ryan said and she smiled. A date, they hadn't had one of those in forever – first because of Ryan's injuries, then because of Lexie keeping them up at all hours of the night, and now things were settled and alright.

"Sure," she stated with a smile. "I'd love it."

"Good, till then," he states with a huge smile plastered on his face. She nods and just then Horatio enters, needing Ryan on a scene with him. They leave. Avery knows things will never be like they were before Ryan's undercover assignment and she wouldn't want them to be.

They are so much better…

The End

_[So, what do you think? Like it, hate it, couldn't care less one way or another? Sorry it took me so long. Thanks for all of the reviews and thanks for reading and sticking with me. _

_TVGirl09]_


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